:-NRLF 


5flfi 


BEP  FRANKLIN 


5th  Series 

COLONIAL 


A   PROPOS 

IN  presenting  this  abstract  of  the  life  of  Benjamin  Franklin  on  the  occasion 
of  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  his  birth,  it  is  pertinent  to  note  that  an 
occurrence  in  the  early  history  of  Newbury,  from  which  Newburyport  —  the 
home  of  the  manufactures  herein  illustrated  —  was  later  set  off,  was  of  material 
assistance  to  Franklin  in  the  confirmation  of  his  discovery  of  the  identity  of 
lightning  and  electricity ;  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  extract  from  one  of 
his  letters  to  M.  Dalibard  of  Paris,  subsequently  read  before  the  Royal  Society 
of  London,  and  to  be  found  in  Bigelow's  Works  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 

The  church  referred  to  stood  in  what  is  now  Market  Square,  Newburyport, 
and  was  struck  by  lightning  February  ninth,  1754. 

I  thank  you  for  communicating  M.  de  Buffon's  relation  of  the  effect  of  lightning  at 
Dijon,  on  the  7*h  of  June  last.  In  return,  give  me  leave  to  relate  an  instance  I  lately 
saw  of  the  same  kind.  Being  in  the  town  of  Newbury,  in  New  England,  in  Novem- 
ber last,  I  was  shown  the  effect  of  lightning  on  their  church,  which  had  been  struck 
a  few  months  before.  The  steeple  was  a  square  tower  of  wood,  reaching  seventy  feet 
up  from  the  ground  to  the  place  where  the  bell  hung,  over  which  rose  a  taper  spire, 
of  wood  likewise,  reaching  seventy  feet  higher,  to  the  vane  of  the  weather-cock.  Near 
the  bell  was  fixed  an  iron  hammer  to  strike  the  hours ;  and  from  the  tail  of  the  ham- 
mer a  wire  went  down  through  a  small  gimlet-hole  in  the  floor  that  the  bell  stood  upon, 
and  through  a  second  floor  in  like  manner;  then  horizontally  under  and  near  the 
plastered  ceiling  of  that  second  floor,  till  it  came  near  a  plastered  wall ;  then  down 
by  the  side  of  that  wall  to  a  clock,  which  stood  about  twenty  feet  below  the  bell.  The 
wire  was  not  bigger  than  a  common  knitting  needle.  The  spire  was  split  all  to  pieces 
by  the  lightning,  and  the  parts  flung  in  all  directions  over  the  Square  in  which  the 
church  stood,  so  that  nothing  remained  above  the  bell. 

The  lightning  passed  between  the  hammer  and  the  clock  in  the  above-mentioned 
wire,  without  hurting  either  of  the  floors,  or  having  any  effect  upon  them  (except  mak- 
ing the  gimlet-holes,  through  which  the  wire  passed,  a  little  bigger),  and  without 
hurting  the  plastered  wall,  or  any  part  of  the  building,  so  far  as  the  aforesaid  wire  and 
the  pendulum-wire  of  the  clock  extended  ;  which  latter  wire  was  about  the  thickness 
of  a  goose-quill.  From  the  end  of  the  pendulum,  down  quite  to  the  ground,  the  build- 
ing was  exceedingly  rent  and  damaged,  and  some  stones  in  the  foundation-wall  torn 
out  and  thrown  to  the  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  No  part  of  the  aforementioned 
long  small  wire,  between  the  clock  and  the  hammer,  could  be  found,  except  about  two 
inches  that  hung  to  the  tail  of  the  hammer,  and  about  as  much  that  was  fastened  to 
the  clock ;  the  rest  being  exploded,  and  its  particles  dissipated  in  smoke  and  air,  as 
gunpowder  is  by  common  fire,  and  had  left  only  a  black  smutty  track  on  the  plastering, 
three  or  four  inches  broad,  darkest  in  the  middle  and  fainter  towards  the  edges,  all 
along  the  ceiling,  under  which  it  passed,  and  down  the  wall.  These  were  the  effects 
and  appearances  on  which  I  would  only  make  the  following  remarks,  viz. :  — 

1.  That  lightning,  in  its  passage  through  a  building,  will  leave  wood  to  pass  as  far 
as  it  can  in  metal,  and  not  enter  the  wood  again  till  the  conductor  of  metal  ceases. 
And  the  same  I  have  observed  in  other  instances,  as  to  walls  of  brick  or  stone. 

2.  The  quantity  of  lightning  that  passed  through  this  steeple  must  have  been  very 
great,  by  its  effects  on  the  lofty  spire  above  the  bell,  and  on  the  square  tower,  all  be- 
low the  end  of  the  clock-pendulum. 

3.  Great  as  this  quantity  was,  it  was  conducted  by  a  small  wire  and  a  clock-pendu- 
lum, without  the  least  damage  to  the  building  so  far  as  they  extended. 

4.  The  pendulum  rod,  being  of  a  sufficient  thickness,  conducted  the  lightning  with- 
out damage  to  itself  ;  but  the  small  wire  was  utterly  destroyed. 

5.  Though  the  small  wire  was  itself  destroyed,  yet  it  had  conducted  the  lightning 
with  safety  to  the  building. 

6.  And  from  the  whole  it  seems  probable  that,  if  even  such  a  small  wire  had  been 
extended  from  the  spindle  of  the  vane  to  the  earth  before  the  storm,  no  damage  would 
have  been  done  to  the  steeple  by  that  stroke  of  lightning,  though  the  wire  itself  had 
been  destroyed.  B.  FRANKLIN. 


THE   LIFE   AND   SERVICES   OF 

BEN'  FRANKLIN 


WITH  SOME  OF  THE  PROVERBS  OF 
POOR    RICHARD 

AND  A  CATALOGUE  OF  THE 

BENJ    FRANKLIN   PATTERN    OF 
STERLING   SILVER  TABLEWARE 


TOWLE  MFG.  COMPANY 

K 

SILVERSMITHS 

NEWBURYPORT,  MASSACHUSETTS 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 
42  MADISON  STREET 


NEW  YORK  CITY 
41  UNION  SQUARE 


THE  MATERIAL  FOR  THIS  BROCHURE  is 

DERIVED  MAINLY  FROM  THE 


Autobiography  of  Benjamin  Franklin 

EDITED  BT  JOHN  BIGELOW 
Franklin's  Published  Essays  and  Documents 

The  Pennsylvania  Gazette 
Poor  Richard's  Almanac 

AND    THE 

Life  and  Times  of  Benjamin   Franklin 

By  JAMES  PARTON 
OTHER   ffORKS  CONSULTED: 

WORKS  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN,  ETC. 

By  Jared  Sparks 
THE  MANYSIDED  FRANKLIN 

By  Paul  Leicester  Ford  « 
THE  TRUE  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN 
By  George  Sydney  Fisher 

OLD  NEWBURY 
By  John  James  Currier 


Copyrighted,  1905,  by 
TOWI.E  MFG    COMPANY 


3Brnfamin 

Barn  January  6,  1706* 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  with  little  appreciation  of  its  importance  to  the 
world,  the  life  of  Benjamin  Franklin  began.  The  home  into  which  he  was 
born  was  comfortable  and  the  family  eminently  worthy,  but  it  was  entirely  lack- 
ing presumption  of  the  genius  that  the  alchemy  of  humanity  had  compounded 
of  greatness  and  goodness,  energy,  ingenuity  and  sagacity,  in  fact  with  some 
subtile  tincture  of  all  the  elements  of  wisdom  and  strength,  not  utterly  devoid  of 
faults,  but  altogether  unique  in  history  and  opportune  in  its  bestowal. 

The  Franklin  house  stood  on  Milk  street,  Boston,  nearly  opposite  the 
historic  Old  South  Meetinghouse,  and  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  religious  belief  of  that  time  he  was,  on  the  day  of  his  birth,  Sunday,  carried 
to  the  church  by  his  mother  and  baptized.  His  father,  Josiah  Franklin,  was  a 
candle-maker  of  sufficient  means  to  bring  up  in  comfort  his  large  family  of 
children,  but  he  was  obliged  to  forego  his  plan  of  educating  Benjamin  for  the 
ministry,  and  two  years'  schooling  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  ten  constituted 
the  sum  of  his  official  intellectual  guidance.  This  but  opened  the  door  to  the 
stores  and  fields  of  knowledge  that  Franklin  by  ardent  application  was  to  make 
his  own,  and  its  brevity  enhances  the  triumph  of  his  achievement.  When, 
therefore,  at  the  age  of  ten,  economic  reasons  prevailed,  thoughts  of  a  higher 
education  gave  way  to  candle-making  in  his  father's  employ.  The  monotonous 
details  of  this  work  proved  little  to  his  taste,  however,  and  his  awakening  im- 
pulses inclined  him  to  seek  adventure  by  running  away  to  sea,  a  prospect  that 


TJfrttte  antr  a  gTtratre  at*  a 

3$0ttf0n.     Poor  Richard. 


Serfofces  of 


has  allured  generations  of  boys  before  and  since.  His  father  became  aware  of 
this,  and  to  enable  him  to  make  choice  of  a  more  congenial  occupation,  took 
him  to  visit  various  places  that  he  might  observe  workmen  at  different  trades. 
He  seemed  most  attracted  by  the  work  of  his  cousin  Samuel,  a  cutler  who  had 
recently  come  from  London  and  set  up  a  shop  in  Boston.  Samuel  Franklin 
took  him  for  mutual  trial,  but  the  arrangement  miscarried  and  Franklin  was 
then  apprenticed  to  his  brother  James  who  was  just  getting  established  in  the 
printing  business.  Franklin  had  read  with  precocious  interest  Bunyan's  Pil- 
grim's Progress,  Plutarch's  Lives,  and  a  few  religious  books  that  his  father 
possessed,  and  the  work  that  he  now  entered  upon  fostered  his  taste  for  study 
by  putting  him  in  the  way  of  access  to  a  greater  range  of  authors,  by  which  he 
profited  immediately  and  signally.  One  of  the  first  evidences  of  his  maturing 
thought  was  a  series  of  letters  over  the  pseudonym  of  "Silence  Dogood"  which 
he  contributed  clandestinely  to  the  "New  England  Courant"  a  newspaper 
established  by  his  brother  in  1720.  This  paper  sought  popularity  by  attacking 
and  ridiculing  established  authority,  especially  in  matters  of  religion,  after  having 
secured  its  subscribers  by  announcement  of  a  contrary  course,  and  the  Silence 
Dogood  articles  by  their  free  and  sceptical  character  attracted  a  degree  of  atten- 
tion quite  incommensurate  with  the  profundity  of  the  writer  who,  notwithstand- 
ing the  curiosity  and  speculation  aroused,  was  able  to  maintain  completely  the 
secret  of  their  authorship  until  his  complacency  over  their  success  got  the  better 
of  his  caution.  The  trend  of  his  thought  toward  religion,  and  the  indepen- 
dence of  his  attitude  and  deductions,  continued  all  through  life  and  may  possi- 
bly be  summed  up  as  deism,  in  turn  combative,  destructive,  tolerant,  friendly. 
He  never  scoffed  at  worship  of  an  omnipotent  God,  although  some  of  his 
writings  were  so  interpreted  by  lesser  intellects  bound  between  the  walls  of 
narrow  creed  and  convention.  His  religion  was  of  constant  and  real  service 
to  himself,  and  after  the  repudiation  of  some  of  his  early  sophistry  brought 
him  the  respect  of  eminent  representatives  of  every  creed.  The  following  from 
the  Courant  is  typical  of  his  irreverent,  though  not  necessarily  sacrilegious, 


antr  *nstvurtor0  can 
neter  toe  requftf fc.    Poor  Richard. 


33enf  amin 


treatment  of  biblical  subjects,  and  it  is  easy  to  understand  the  contempt  it  en- 
gendered in  such  a  Puritan  community : 

"In  old  Time  it  was  no  disrespect  for  Men  and  Women  to  be   called  bv 
their  own  Names:     Adam  was  never  called  Master  Adam ;    we   never  read  of 
Noah  Esquire •,   Lot  Knight  and  Baronet,   nor  the    Right  Honorable  Abraham 
Viscount  of  Mesopotamia,  Baron  of  Canaan;    no,  no,  they  were  plain  Men' 
honest  Country  Grasiers,  that  took  care  of  their  Families  and  Flocks.     Moses 
was  a  great  Prophet,  and^arw  a  priest  of  the  Lord;  but  we  never  read  of  the 
Reverend  Moses    nor  the  Right  Reverend  Father  in   God  Aaron,  by  Divine 
Prov^  Lord  Arch-Bishop  of  Israel;    Thou  never  sawest  Madam  Rebecca 

J    ^  ?u    r  ~7     fdy  ,Rachd:    n°r  Mafy>  tho>  a  Princess  of  the   Blood  after 
the  death  of  Joseph,  called  the  Princess  Dowager  of  Nazareth  " 

It  is  inconceivable   that  such  a  sheet,   embodying  all   the   sensationalism 
laractenstic  of  the  most  vulgar  of  its  present  day  successors  with  a  reckless- 
iess  they  dare  not  aspire  to,  could  long  continue  without  bringing  trouble  upon 
its  sponsors,  and  in  due  course  retribution  overtook  this  one  through  the  Great 
and  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  James  Franklin  was  imprisoned  in 
jail  for  a  month,  being  released  only  after  humble  apology.     He  was  also  en- 
jomed  from   further  publication  of  the  Courant,  but  the  paper  was  continued 
by  Benjamin  while  the  proprietor  was  in  jail,  and  upon  the  expiration  of  Tames' 
sentence  this  arrangement  was  given  a  legal  form  to  evade  the  state  edict      In 
order  to  accomplish  this  it  was  necessary  to  annul  Benjamin's  indenture,  as  other- 
wise his  liability  would  have  reverted  to  James,  but  the  latter  retained  a  measure 
hold  on  his  brother  through  secret  articles  of  similar  import.     This  expedient 
the  end  served  Benjamin  better  however,  as  James  was  so  unwise  as  to  disturb 
the  prosperity  that  followed  the  elevation  of  the  former  by  quarreling  with  and 
severely  beating  him      With  a  knowledge  that  James  was  in  no  position  to 
enforce  a  claim  on  his  services,  and  after  giving  him  warning  to  this  effect 
enjamm   determined    to  sever  the  ties  of  home  and  family  and  work  out  his 
itmy  with  an  independence  compatible  with  his  mental  development 


a  jFint  ©fcnftts  in  fjfs  ©ton 

is  ILifce  CJoltr  fn  tJje  J»fne,   Poor  Richard. 


of 


By  selling  some  of  his  books  he  raised  a  little  money,  and  making  a 
fictitious  intrigue  of  which  he  pretended  to  fear  the  consequences  an  excuse  for 
secrecy,  he  took  passage  on  a  sloop  for  New  York,  where  in  due  course  he 
arrived  and  undertook  to  secure  employment.  He  applied  to  Mr.  William 
Bradford,  a  famous  printer,  but  the  best  that  gentleman  could  do  for  him  was  to 
suggest  that  he  call  on  his  son,  also  a  printer,  in  Philadelphia,  whom  he  thought 
was  in  need  of  help.  So  Franklin  set  out  in  a  small  boat  for  Amboy,  New  Jersey, 
from  which  place  he  was  to  make  his  way  to  Burlington  on  the  Delaware,  and 
from  thence  by  boat  again  to  Philadelphia.  The  trip  across  the  bay  at  New 
York  proved  disastrous,  the  boat  being  driven  to  the  Long  Island  shore  in  a 
squall  and  barely  saved  from  wreck  by  fortunate  anchoring.  Here  they  were 
obliged  to  stay  over  night  exposed  to  a  severe  storm,  wet  and  without  food. 
One  of  the  party,  a  Dutchman  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  fell  overboard  and 
was  saved  by  Franklin  as  he  was  going  down  the  third  time.  They  reached 
Amboy  the  next  day  thoroughly  exhausted  and  Franklin  went  to  bed  in  a  high 
fever.  His  strong  constitution,  aided  by  his  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  lib- 
eral draughts  of  cold  water,  enabled  him  to  rise  in  his  usual  health  the  next 
morning,  and  he  started  on  foot  for  Burlington,  which  he  reached  after 
nearly  three  days  of  tramping,  the  first  in  a  driving  rain,  which  put  his  courage 
to  a  severe  test  and  reduced  him  to  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  vagabond. 
He  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  small  boat  that  was  to  leave  for  Philadel- 
phia that  night,  and  after  a  hearty  meal  he  embarked  to  spend  the  most  of  the 
night  at  the  oars.  The  misfortune  of  the  earlier  stage  of  the  journey  attended 
him  to  its  end;  the  party  lost  its  reckoning  and  fearing  that  the  city  had  been 
passed  unknowingly,  drew  up  at  the  shore  and  gathered  around  a  small  fire  until 
dawn  revealed  their  destination  a  short  distance  below. 

Though  the  determination  to  run  away  from  home  is  most  frequently  arrived 
at  through  a  boy's  immature  consideration  of  conditions,  existing  and  anticipa- 
ted, there  can  be  little  question  of  the  wisdom,  in  Franklin's  case,  of  this  recourse. 
He  was  by  temperament  antagonistic  to  the  Puritan  atmosphere  of  Boston,  and 
his  continued  criticism  of  an  unalterable  situation  would  have  hampered  his 
independence  and  restricted  his  opportunities,  while  the  necessity  for  prudence, 
engendered  by  his  precarious  footing  in  new  surroundings — even  though  the 
people  were  freer  of  thought  and  content  to  take  him  as  they  found  him — was 
certain  to  recommend  sobriety  of  expression.  It  was  in  fact  with  an  added 
sense  of  the  seriousness  of  life  that  Franklin 
arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  that  eventful  Sunday 
morning  in  October,  1723.  The  picture  of  a 
dirty  and  disheveled  boy  of  seventeen  years,  his 
necessary  change  of  shirt  and  stockings  bulging 
his  pockets,  with  a  large  loaf  under  each  arm, 
and  in  his  hand  a  third  which  he  munched  with 
calm  indifference  while  walking  the  streets  in  ran- 
dom exploration,  is  familiar  through  many  render- 
ings and  is  easily  preeminent,  although  his  after 
life  abounded  in  striking  tableaux.  With  a  gen- 
erosity that  was  always  attendant  upon  his  frugality, 
he  gave  the  two  loaves  remaining  after  he  had  eaten 
enough,  to  a  needy  woman  and  her  child,  who  had 
been  fellow  passengers  the  night  before,  and  then 
wandered  into  a  Quaker  meeting,  where  the 


Franklin  s  Watch. 


ttjat  nefeet  ?5ats  too  mutt) 
toill  nefoet  to  Ha$$.  Poor  Richard. 


r  n  j  a  m  f  it 


attfclf  n 


stillness  and  his  fatigue  soon  put  him  to  sleep.  He  was  allowed  to  remain  so 
until  the  meeting  closed,  and  then  on  being  awakened  he  sought  a  tavern  and 
slept  the  rest  of  the  day.  After  eating  supper  he  went  to  bed  and  slept  soundly 
through  the  night,  so  great  had  been  his  exhaustion. 

On  the  following  day  he  obtained  employment  with  a  printer  named 
Keimer,  William  Bradford  having  already  obtained  a  hand,  and  settled  down  to 
work  and  make  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  Keimer  recommended  him  for 
lodging  at  the  home  of  a  Mrs.  Read,  whose  daughter  Deborah  was  destined  to 
enter  largely  into  his  maturer  life,  and  who,  it  happened,  had  with  great  amuse- 
ment observed  him  on  his  memorable  stroll  up  Market  street  the  day  before, 
little  thinking  what  it  meant  to  her  that  this  strange  youth  had  found  his  way 
to  Philadelphia. 

Franklin's  natural  craving  for  mental  improvement  had  led  him  to  seek  the 
best  in  literature,  and  especially  to  profit  by  the  style  of  those  writers  who  ap- 
peared to  him  most  gifted  in  argument  and  expression.  He  had  early  come 
upon  a  volume  of  the  Spectator,  the  repository  of  the  most  learned  thought  of 
its  time,  and  by  arduous  practice  had  acquired  much  of  the  scholarly  manner 
and  clear  diction  of  its  editors,  which,  joined  with  his  speculative  proclivities, 
made  him  an  interesting  companion  for  men  of  greater  learning.  In  this  way 
he  gained  the  regard  of  Governor  Keith  of  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware,  whose 
acquaintance  he  made  through  his  brother-in-law,  Robert  Holmes,  who  was 
master  of  a  sloop  that  plied  between  Boston  and  the  Delaware  river,  and  who  had 
thus  met  influential  people.  Keith  had  been  long  settled  in  his  position  and 
had  acquired  a  graciousness  of  manner  and  profligacy  of  benevolence  that  led 
him  to  undertake  much  more  than  he  was  able  to  accomplish,  and  Franklin 
became  the  victim  of  his  facile  scheming.  He  proposed  to  give  Franklin  all 
the  public  printing  of  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware  as  the  foundation  of  an  inde- 
pendent business  and  sent  the  highly  flattered  recipient  of  his  favor  to  the  latter's 
father  in  Boston,  with  a  letter  urging  Mr.  Franklin  to  advance  the  capital  to 
launch  the  enterprise,  and  when  to  his  great  surprise  the  appeal  was  refused,  he 
lightly  agreed  to  defray  the  cost  himself,  and  even  proposed  that  Franklin 
should  go  to  London  to  personally  select  his  outfit.  Of  course  this  seemed 
the  climax  of  good  fortune  and  Franklin  at  once  engaged  passage,  relying  on 
Governor  Keith's  voluble  promises  but  continually  deferred  delivery  of  letters 
and  credit,  until  at  last  he  experienced  an  awakening  when  the  final  promise  to 

send  the  papers  with  others  that 
were  to  meet  the  ship  at  New  Castle 
was  too  late  proven  faithless,  and 
he  found  himself  on  the  ocean  with- 
out resources  or  prospects.  He 
had  progressed  materially  in  the 
affections  of  Miss  Read  during  his 
stay  at  her  home,  and  he  left  her 
without  scruple  in  the  companion- 
ship of  a  young  man  of  congenial 
literary  tastes,  who  took  this  oppor- 
tunity to  desert  his  wife  and  child. 
He  made  some  worthy  acquaint- 
ances on  the  ship,  among  them  that 
of  Mr.  Denham,  a  prosperous 
Quaker  merchant,  who  enlightened 


Franklin's  Pew  in  Christs  Church.,  Phila. 


Kit  tip  affairs  of  Ujis  Oilovlfc  JWnt  are 
not  f»#  j^aitfi,  twt  f)£  tlje  toant  of  ft.    Poor 


Setrtofces  of 


jFvanfclin,  toff*  of  Benf. 


him  on  Keith's  real  standing  and  the  fatuity  of  the  promises  he  had  made. 
When,  therefore,  he  landed  in  London  he  was  obliged  immediately  to  seek  work 
to  maintain  himself.  Fortunately  his  trade  stood  him  in  good  stead  and  he 
soon  entered  upon  the  fullness  of  such  life  as  the  city  could  offer  to  a  young 
printer.  His  companion,  James  Ralph,  aspired  to  make  a  living  by  literary 
work,  but  as  he  could  find  no  market  for  his  imagined  genius  he  was  a  burden 
to  Franklin  for  a  long  time.  He  finally  secured  employment  as  teacher  of  an 
elementary  school  in  the  country,  and  before  his  return  to  London  he  broke 
with  his  benefactor  on  account  of  the  latter's  presumption  of  familiarity  with 
his  mistress,  to  whom  also  Franklin  had  loaned  money. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  work  in  London,  Franklin  gained  preeminence 
in  his  trade  through  the  excellence  of  his  work  and  his  ability  to  accomplish 
more  than  his  fellows.  This  latter  faculty  was  largely  the  result  of  his  orderly 
living  and  abstention  from  excessive  drinking,  to  which  his  companions  were 
addicted,  and  they  gave  him  the  name  of  the  "Water  American"  because  of  his 
adherence  to  this  beverage  in  place  of  the  great  quantities  of  strong  beer  on 
which  they  thought  it  necessary  to  rely.  By  saving  the  cost  of  this  beer  and 
by  living  very  economically  he  was  enabled  to  lay  by  a  little  money  and  was 
called  upon  every  week  to  advance  considerable  sums  to  the  others.  His  con- 
stant habit  of  endeavoring  to  improve  his  own  condition  and  that  of  those 
around  him  by  rational  consideration  of  every  detail  of  life  further  distinguished 
him  as  a  leader  and  gained  for  him  the  respect  of  worthy  people  outside  his 
profession.  At  Palmer's  printing  office  where  he  first  obtained  work  he  was 
given  Wollaston's  "Religion  of  Nature"  to  set  for  a  second  edition.  He  be- 


Kf  EJjott  toottltrs't  ZLite  2Lon0,  Hftit  Witll;   tot 
anfc  s&frftrtmr&g  Shorten  ZLCffc.    Poor  Richard. 


Benjamin 


a  n  ft  U  n 


ttacijc,  traujjljtrr  of  J3rnf. 


lieved  the  author's  reasoning  fallacious,  and  to  refute  it  he  wrote  and  issued 
a  pamphlet  under  the  title  "A  Dissertation  on  Liberty  and  Necessity, 
Pleasure  and  Pain."  It  was  a  facile  production  denying  a  future  life  and  repu- 
diating other  fundamental  beliefs,  but  was  rather  an  exercise  in  speculation  than 
the  result  of  conviction,  and  he  soon  regretted  its  publication  and  recovered  and 
destroyed  nearly  all  of  the  one  hundred  copies  printed.  It  was  the  means, 
however,  of  his  making  the  acquaintance  of  a  number  of  celebrities  whose  com- 
panionship was  a  pleasant  addition  to  his  life.  Another  distinction  which  he 
gained  at  this  time  was  the  result  of  his  prowess  and  skill  in  swimming.  This 
had  been  a  hobby  in  his  earliest  youth,  and  like  everything  that  he  inclined  to 
had  been  exhaustively  studied  and  thoroughly  mastered  in  all  its  possibilities  of 
endurance  and  grace.  His  success  in  teaching  a  companion  to  swim  in  two  les- 
sons became  known  to  Sir  William  Wyndham,  who  sent  for  him  and  urged 
him  to  undertake  the  teaching  of  his  two  sons,  who  were  about  to  start  on 
extended  travels  which  might  thus  be  less  hazardous.  Franklin  was  greatly 
pleased  with  this  recognition,  but  he  could  not  accept  the  offer  as  the  young 
men  were  not  then  in  London  and  he  had  already  completed  arrangements  to 
return  to  America  with  Mr.  Denham,  the  merchant  whose  acquaintance  he 
made  on  the  voyage  from  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Denham  needed  a  clerk  to  look 
after  the  packing  and  shipment  of  the  large  stock  of  goods  that  he  was  to  carry 
back,  and  he  assured  Franklin  of  a  good  and  permanent  position  in  his  store 
with  the  ultimate  prospect  of  being  a  partner  in  the  business.  This  was  very 
attractive  to  Franklin  who  had  a  high  regard  for  Mr.  Denham,  and  he  took 
leave  of  printing,  as  he  thought,  forever. 

(Dunce  of  eiut  tljat  is  ttou0ljt  is  ftRorUj 
$ottttir   tfjat   i&   (Tauoftt.      Poor  Richard.  • 


a 


^=>._ 

A  //^ . 


^rvutces  of 


dluafctv    JKfetfna    Eiottst, 


a 


He  had  spent  about  eighteen  months  in  London  and  had  profited  in  many 
ways  by  the  experience,  although  not  greatly  financially,  as  his  former  friend 
Ralph  was  still  indebted  to  him  for  twenty-seven  pounds,  but  he  was  glad  of  so 
favorable  an  opportunity  to  return  home,  where  he  arrived  on  the  nth  of 
October,  1726,  after  a  voyage  of  nearly  three  months.  While  on  shipboard  he 
prepared  a  plan  of  life,  consisting  of  an  exhaustive  moral  code  which  it  was  his 
aim  to  realize  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow-men  and  which  was  a  great  help  in 
overcoming  many  weaknesses. 

Governor  Keith  had  been  superseded,  during  Franklin's  absence,  and  when 
they  met,  passed  him  without  recognition,  appearing  somewhat  ashamed  of  his 
conduct.  Miss  Read,  despairing  of  his  return,  had  yielded  to  the  desires  of  her 
friends  and  married  a  potter  named  Rogers,  but  had  only  lived  with  him  a 
short  time,  so  unhappy  was  the  union,  while  it  was  rumored  that  he  had 
another  wife  in  England. 

Mr.  Denham  took  a  deep  interest  in  Franklin,  who  returned  it  with  affec- 
tion and  a  diligent  attention  to  business  ;  he  felt  that  this  was  an  important 
turning  point  in  his  career  and  was  happy  to  be  settled  so  favorably.  His  fate 
was  marked  in  other  lines  however,  and  in  February  of  the  next  year  both  he 
and  Mr.  Denham  were  taken  down  with  what  he  calls  "  a  pleurisy."  Mr.  Den- 
ham  died,  and  Franklin  was  so  near  death  that  he  resigned  himself  to  it,  a 
circumstance  that  he  notes  in  his  memoirs  with  mention  of  a  feeling  of  regret, 
when  he  found  himself  recovering,  that  sometime  or  other  it  must  all  be  done 
over  again. 

Thus  thrown  on  the  world  again,  Franklin  accepted  from  Keimer,  his 
former  employer,  a  tempting  offer  as  foreman,  and  undertook  to  mould  into 
acceptability  the  work  of  a  number  of  incompetent  hands.  After  a  few  months 
it  became  evident  that  Keimer  intended  to  employ  Franklin  only  long  enough 
to  bring  the  others  up  to  a  tolerable  standard,  and  as  they  gained  in  proficiency 
his  manner  became  overbearing,  threatening  at  any  time  a  rupture  and  conse- 


BSlcitr  *njut*ies  in  Dust, 

in  JHattlt.     Poor  Richard. 


jFtranftUn       n 


quent  excuse  for  terminating  the  engagement.  He  soon  found  the  opportunity 
he  sought,  for  happening  to  be  in  the  street  on  an  occasion  when  Franklin 
leaned  out  of  a  window  to  discover  the  cause  of  a  loud  noise  nearby,  he  up- 
braided him  publicly  and  then  came  to  the  work-room  and  continued  it, 
finishing  by  giving  him  a  quarter's  notice  which  he  regretted  the  necessity 
of.  Franklin  waived  this  and  left  instantly,  requesting  Hugh  Meredith,  an 
apprentice  with  whom  he  was  friendly,  to  bring  his  belongings  to  his  lodging. 
Meredith  brought  them  in  the  evening  and  proposed  that  when  his  appren- 
ticeship expired,  which  would  be  the  following  spring,  they  should  form  a 
partnership  for  which  he  would  induce  his  father  to  furnish  the  capital,  to  be 
balanced  by  Franklin's  skill,  with  an  equal  sharing  of  profits.  To  this  Franklin 
readily  agreed,  and  Mr.  Meredith  having  a  high  regard  for  him  because  of  his 
good  influence  over  his  son,  was  pleased  with  the  alliance  and  ratified  the  plan. 
It  was  decided  to  keep  the  matter  secret  until  the  necessary  outfit  could  be 
obtained  from  London,  and  so  after  a  few  days  of  idleness  when  he  was  again 
approached  by  Keimer,  who  wished  to  secure  a  large  order  which  he  was 
personally  unable  to  execute,  Franklin  accepted  his  apologies  and  took  advant- 
age of  this  opportunity  to  profitably  occupy  the  intervening  time.  The  order 
was  for  making  the  plates  and  printing  paper  money  for  the  province  of  New 
Jersey,  and  the  successful  execution  of  the  work  by  Franklin  brought  him 
greater  renown  and  many  influential  friends  among  those  who  were  deputed  to 
supervise  the  work.  At  that  time  no  copperplate  printing  had  been  done  in 
this  country,  and  Franklin  was  obliged  to  contrive  a  press  as  well  as  engrave 
the  plates  and  print  from  them.  He  took  Meredith  to  Burlington  with  him 
to  assist,  that  they  might  be  together  and  that  the  latter  might  profit  by  the 
practice.  Soon  after  their  return  to  Philadelphia  their  outfit  arrived  from 
London,  and  they  settled  with  Keimer  and  left  his  employ  before  he  learned 
their  plans.  They  hired  a  house  and  rented  a  part  of  it  to  a  man  named 
Godfrey,  with  whom  they  arranged  to  board.  Business  came  to  them  from  the 


is    .Small   iicucnor 
mag  lie  <Krcatlt> 


in  K-lovBs,    ttttt 

Poor  Richard. 


jufe  an* 


of 


printing  ©ffite  (n  ZLon&on, 


start  through  friends  inter- 
ested in  their  welfare,  and 
Franklin  makes  special 
mention  of  the  assistance 
thus  gained  through  the 
members  of  a  club  called 
the  Junto,  which  he  had 
organized  for  mutual  study 
and  improvement.  This 
club  consisted  of  twelve 
members  who  met  each  Fri- 
day evening,  and  was  very 
serious  and  methodical  in 
its  investigations,  which  were 
laid  out  on  broad  lines  of 
Sociology,  Science,  and  Re- 
ligion. Through  its  central 
and  subsidiary  organizations, 
planned  to  take  in  the  many 
who  desired  to  join,  without 
enlarging  the  original  mem- 
bership, it  exerted  a  wide 
influence,  and  forty  years 
later  formed  the  nucleus  of 
the  American  Philosophical 

Society  of  which  Franklin  was  the  first  president.  One  of  the  members  of  the 
Junto  procured  for  the  new  firm  the  printing  of  forty  folio  sheets  of  the  history 
of  the  Quakers,  and  the  industry  displayed  on  this,  which  Franklin  had  deter- 
mined should  be  set  and  printed  a  sheet  a  day,  attracted  the  attention  of 
influential  people  who  observed  them  at  work  early  and  late,  and  further 
increased  their  patronage. 

Bradford  was  successfully  publishing  a  weekly  newspaper,  and  Franklin 
having  a  strong  disposition  for  writing,  conceived  the  idea  of  entering  this  field. 
He  was  not  prepared  to  start  it  at  once,  but  he  confided  his  plan  to  George 
Webb,  a  former  associate  at  Keimer's,  who  had  then  come  to  Franklin  for 
employment.  He  requested  Webb,  for  whom  he  had  no  place,  to  keep  the 
matter  secret,  but  Webb  immediately  took  it  to  Keimer  who  resolved  to  steal  a 
march  on  his  rival,  and  at  once  announced  his  intention  of  beginning  the  publi- 
cation of  the  "  Universal  Instructor  in  All  the  Arts  and  Sciences  and  the  Penn- 
sylvania Gazette"  The  bombastic  forepart  of  the  title  was  undoubtedly  based 
on  his  proposal  to  republish,  a  consecutive  part  in  each  issue,  a  voluminous 
encyclopedia  that  had  just  appeared.  Franklin  was  much  chagrined  at  this 
forestalling  of  his  project,  and  with  the  tactics  of  a  modern  stock-broker  set  out 
to  weaken  Keimer's  position  by  strengthening  Bradford's  "Mercury"  until 
such  time  as  he  should  be  ready  to  enter  the  field  with  his  own  paper.  He 
therefore  contributed  regularly  to  the  "Mercury"  over  the  name  of "  Busybody  " 
bright,  pertinent  articles  calculated  to  interest  the  body  of  the  people  while 
avoiding  everything  that  might  give  offense  to  any.  This  was  a  marked 
reversal  of  his  tendency  in  the  "Silence  Dogood  "  letters  of  the  "  New  England 
Courant,"  and  indicated  the  ascendency  of  the  principles  that  he  had  formed 
after  such  mature  deliberation  and  which  served  him  with  increasing  profit  to 


a  Secret. 
£too  of  Efjem  are 


Poor  Richard. 


Ucnjatnfn 


as  $ortev  for 


the  end  of  his  life.  The 
scheme  worked  as  he  antic- 
ipated and  Keimer's  sheet 
was  soon  reduced  to  a  pre- 
carious existence,  which 
terminated  with  the  thirty- 
ninth  issue,  when  it  was 
offered  to  Franklin's  firm 
who  bought  it  and  brought 
it  out  under  the  abridged 
title  of  the  "Pennsylvania 
Gazette."  Franklin's  skill 
and  versatility  as  a  writer 
soon  rehabilitated  it  and  it 
became  an  important  factor 
in  life  and  politics,  thereby 
adding  greatly  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  general  printing 
business  of  its  proprietors, 
as  the  politicians  were  sen- 
sible of  its  power  and  recog- 
nized the  benefit  of  being  in 
harmony  with  its  publishers. 
With  this  advantage  and  the 
influence  of  personal  friends 
in  the  Assembly,  as  well  as  the  manifest  superiority  of  their  work,  the  firm  obtained 
the  public  printing  of  Pennsylvania,  including  the  paper  money  which  came  to  be 
authorized  against  considerable  opposition  through  clever  anonymous  articles  by 
Franklin,  and  also  the  similar  work  of  Delaware.  Meredith  was  of  little  assis- 
tance in  the  business  and  it  developed  that  his  father  had,  by  reason  of  a  strait- 
ness  in  his  affairs,  only  paid  one-half  of  the  purchase  price  of  the  material 
obtained  in  London  to  set  up  the  establishment,  and  was  unable  to  supply  the 
balance.  The  printers  were  having  a  hard  time  to  make  both  ends  meet,  not- 
withstanding their  increase  of  orders,  and  the  prospect  of  raising  the  one 
hundred  pounds  remaining  due  was  very  remote.  Franklin  was  much  worried 
by  the  possibility  of  being  sold  out  by  his  creditors,  but  this  misfortune  was 
obviated  by  the  confidence  and  liberality  of  friends  who  learned  of  his  dis- 
tress. Without  solicitation  and  unknown  to  each  other  William  Coleman  and 
Robert  Grace  offered  to  supply  the  money  to  pay  all  his  debts  if  he  would 
sever  his  connection  with  Meredith,  who  was  dissipated  and  indolent  as  well  as 
incapable.  Franklin  was  grateful  for  this  kindness  and  fully  realized  the  wis- 
dom of  the  conditions,  but  he  felt  in  honor  bound  to  give  his  partner  full 
opportunity  to  complete  the  agreement  which  had  enabled  them  to  start  in 
business.  He  therefore  waited  some  time  to  see  if  this  would  be  done,  and 
finding  no  prospect  of  it,  mentioned  the  matter  to  Meredith  with  the  suggestion 
that  perhaps  his  father  was  dissatisfied  with  the  outcome  of  the  venture  and 
would  prefer  to  have  his  son  in  business  alone.  Meredith  replied  very  candidly 
that  his  father  was  really  unable,  through  disappointments,  to  pay  the  balance, 
and  furthermore,  that  he  did  not  consider  himself  qualified  to  succeed  as  a  printer, 
and  that  if  Franklin  would  repay  his  father  the  one  hundred  pounds  advanced, 
pay  his  small  debts,  give  him  thirty  pounds  and  a  new  saddle,  as  well  as  assume 


are   a   Sujjetstftfous   Sect,  (Kreat 
©tiserfeers  of  Set  33ass  antt  &Cmes.  Poor  Richard. 


of 


Poor  Richard, 


A  N 


the  debts  of  the  firm,  he  would  withdraw  and  remove  to  South  Carolina  where 
many  of  his  former  neighbors  were  settling.  Franklin  agreed  to  this  proposal 
and  it  was  immediately  put  in  writing,  signed  and  sealed.  Being  unwilling  to 
prefer  one  beyond  the  other  Franklin  accepted  from  each  of  his  two  friends 
one-half  of  the  money  required  and  announced  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership 
and  his  purchase  of  the  business.  Work  continued  to  come  to  him  in  abund- 
ance and  Franklin  took  on  a  journeyman  he  had  known  in  London,  and  an 
apprentice,  also  adding  to  his  establishment  a  book  and  stationery  shop.  He 
continued  to  board  with  the  Godfreys,  who  lived  in  his  house,  and  Mrs.  God- 
frey undertook  to  bring  about  his  marriage  with  the  daughter  of  one  of  her 
relatives.  She  brought  them  much  together,  and  Franklin,  being  pleased  with 
the  girl  carried  it  to  the  point  of  negotiations  with  Mrs.  Godfrey,  whom  he 
informed  that  he  should  expect  a  dowry  sufficient  to  pay  what  he  owed  on  his 
business — his  indebtedness  having  been  reduced  to  about  one  hundred  pounds. 
This  broke  up  the  affair,  Mrs.  Godfrey  professing  disapproval  of  the  match 
and  disbelief  in  his  prospects.  Franklin  suspected  that  this  was  a  ruse  to  force 
them  to  a  secret  marriage,  reckoning  that  sufficient  attachment  had  been  formed, 
and  he  resented  the  idea  and  refrained  from  further  attentions  although  Mrs. 
Godfrey  intimated  that  they  would  be  favorably  received. 

Having  had  his  thoughts  turned  in  this  direction  Franklin  concluded  that 
marriage  would  be  desirable,  and  as  he  had  kept  up  his  acquaintance  with   Miss 

Read,  as  he  still  called  her,  he  revived  their 
mutual  affection  and  waiving  the  possibilities 
of  the  return  of  Rogers,  who  had  long  since 
run  away  to  the  West  Indies4where  it  was  said 
he  had  died,  and  the  liability  for  the  latter's 
debts,  he  "took  her  to  wife"  September  ist, 
1 730.  They  never  heard  from  Rogers  or  his 
debts  and  the  alliance  proved  all  that  could 
be  desired.  Mrs.  Franklin  was  not  his  equal 
in  mental  accomplishments,  but  she  was  faith- 
ful and  helpful,  and  Franklin's  amiability  was 
always  superior  to  her  deficiencies  of  educa- 
tion, although  later  in  life  these  were  basely 
alluded  to  by  his  detractors.  He  regarded 
this  step  as  the  correction  of  one  of  the  great 
errors  of  life,  and  of  their  union  he  says : 
"We  throve  together  and  have  ever  mutually 
endeavor'd  to  make  each  other  happy." 

As  was  the  custom  with  all  printers,  Frank- 
lin had  since  setting  up  in  business  published 
an  annual  almanac,  an  ever  profitable  institu- 
tion in  those  days  of  scant  literature.  He 
had  been  encouraged  in  this  by  Thomas 
Godfrey,  whose  passion  for  astronomy  was 
above  everything  in  his  life,  and  who  was 
therefore  qualified  to  forecast  eclipses  and 
supply  other  necessary  data  for  such  a  work. 
As  a  consequence  of  the  disagreement  with 
Mrs.  Godfrey  the  family  left  Franklin's  house 
and  Godfrey's  services  were  transferred  to 


Almanack 

For  the  Year  of  Chrift 

*73'3> 

Being  the  Firft  after  TJEAP  YEAR . 


Yean 

7341 
0932 
J742 
$«!? 
.5494 


/Ini  makes  fact  Iht  Crtallm 
By  the  Account  of  the  Eillcrn  Grttkj 
By  the  Latin  Church,   when  O  ent  T 
By  the  Compulation  of  ff.tf. 
By  the  Ttamtm  Chronology 
By  the  'Jmift  Kabbiet. 

Wherein  is  contained 
The  Lunations,  Eclipfes,  Judgment  of 
the  Weather,  Spring  Tides,   Planets  Motions  & 
mutual  Afpcfts,  Sun  and  Moon's  Riling  and  Set- 
ting,  Length  of  Days,  Time,  of  High  Water, 
Fairs,  Corjrte,  and  obfcrvable  Days. 
Fitted  to  the  Latitude  of  Forty  Degrees, 
and  •,  Meridian  of  Five  Hours  Weft  from  icHaSw*, 
but  may  without  fenfible  Error,  ferveall  the  ad- 
jaunt  Places,  even  from  Hrvfeu»£n*l  to  Soutfi. 

CarotinA 

SOUNDERS,  Philom. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

Printed  and  fold  by  B.  FR^NKLItf.  at  the  New 

Printing  Office  near  the  Market 


Title  Page  (reduced]  of  the  First 
Issue  of  Poor  Richard's  Almanac. 


Ucfovt 


St)ttt 


Poor  Richard. 


13  r  n  j  a  m  i  u 


Bradford.  Instead  of  being  dismayed  at  this  loss  Franklin's  keen  resources  turned 
it  to  advantage  and  brought  out  an  almanac  so  novel  and  entertaining  that  three 
editions  were  required  to  supply  the  demand  that  extended  from  New  England 
to  the  South.  As  these  almanacs  were  rated  according  to  the  learning  and 
reputation  of  the  Philomath,  or  astronomical  calculator  who  was  identified  with 
each,  Franklin  supplied  this  deficiency  by  creating  such  a  character  under  the 
name  of  "Richard  Saunders"  otherwise  "Poor  Richard"  and  the  following,  his 
introduction  to  the  first  issue,  that  of  1733,  shows  the  spirit  and  completeness 
of  the  result: 

"Courteous  Reader: 

I  might  in  this  place  attempt  to  gain  thy  favour,  by  declaring  that  I  write 
almanacks  with  no  other  view  than  that  of  the  public  good;  but  in  this  I 
should  not  be  sincere;  and  men  are  now  adays  too  wise  to  be  deceiv'd  by  pre- 
tences how  specious  soever.  The  plain  truth  of  the  matter  is,  I  am  excessive 
poor,  and  my  wife,  good  woman,  is,  I  tell  her,  excessive  proud;  she  cannot 
bear,  she  says,  to  sit  spinning  in  her  shift  of  tow,  while  I  do  nothing  but  gaze 
at  the  stars;  and  has  threatned  more  than  once  to  burn  all  my  books  and 
rattling-traps  (as  she  calls  my  instruments)  if  I  do  not  make  some  profitable 
use  of  them  for  the  good  of  my  family.  .The  printer  has  offer'd  me  some 
considerable  share  of  the  profits,  and  I  have  thus  began  to  comply  with  my 
dame's  desire.  Indeed  this  motive  would  have  had  force  enough  to  have  made 

me  publish  an  almanack  many  years  since,  had 
it  not  been  overpowered  by  my  regard  for  my 
good  friend  and  fellow-student,  Mr.Titan  Leeds, 
whose  interest  I  was  extreamly  unwilling  to  hurt: 
But  this  obstacle  (I  am  far  from  speaking  it  with 
pleasure)  is  soon  to  be  removed,  since  inexorable 
Death,  who  was  never  known  to  respect  merit, 
has  already  prepared  the  mortal  dart,  the  fatal 
sister  has  already  extended  her  destroying  shears, 
and  that  ingenious  man  must  soon  be  taken  from 
us.  He  dies,  by  my  calculation,  made  at  his 
request,  on  Oct.  17,  1733,  3  ho.  29  m.  P.  M., 
at  the  very  instant  of  the  d  of  Q  and  $:  By 
his  own  calculation  he  will  survive  till  the  26th 
of  the  same  month.  This  small  difference 
between  us  we  have  disputed  whenever  we  have 
met  these  nine  years  past;  but  at  length  he  is 
inclinable  to  agree  with  my  judgment. 

Which  of  us  is  most  exact  a  little  time  will 
now  determine.  As  therefore  these  Provinces 
may  not  longer  expect  to  see  any  of  his  per- 
formances after  this  year,  I  think  myself  free  to 
take  up  the  task,  and  request  a  share  of  publick 
encouragement;  which  I  am  the  more  apt  to 
hope  for  on  this  account,  the  buyer  of  my  Alma- 
nack may  consider  himself  not  only  as  purchas- 
ing an  useful  utensil,  but  as  performing  an  act 
of  charity,  to  his  poor 

Friend  and  servant, 

R.  Saunders." 


ATAKLEoftbePdue 
fad  Weight  of  Coins ,  as 
they  nno-ftafs  in  Pennfyl- 

vania.  Lead 

Value.  'Weight 

ENgl.  Guineas  at  I  14  o 
French  Guineas  I  i$  6 
tloidores  -  -  -  136 
Johannes's  -  -  -5150 
Half  Johannes's  •  »  17  6 
CuoJinei  -  -  -  I  14  o 
Dutch  or  Gcr.  Ducat,  o  14  o 
French  rnilltd  Piftoles  l  6  6 
ipanife  Piftoles  170 

Arabian  Chequins    -    o  13  I 
Other  Gold  Coin,  per 

Ounce  •  «  -  6 
Trench  Silver  Crowns  o 
Spanifh  milled  Pieces 

of  8.  -  -  -  -  o 
Othergood coined  Span. 

Silver,  per  Ounce    o 


6ig 
r8 
9  4 
6,  5 
*  4 
44 
4  6 
»  3 


5  o 

7  6,  «7  6 

7  6  17  6 


3  6 


The  Proportion  of  Go1<t  to  Silver,  in 

Eagimd  is.aj  (J  :  i  •  :  Q  ;'  jr      i 

*"  .  j  "5 

I  Ounce  Troy  of  GoM  (z»  Car;} 
is  worth  Sterling  £.  .  i7g> 

I'Ounce  Sterling  Silver,      051 


From  Poor  Richard's 

Almanac. 


¥ou  SSiou'a  "Not  tte  .{Forgotten  as  Soon  m  ¥ott  are 
antr  Motttu,  eitJjrr  Wlvitt  £f)iti&0  saiotttj  Xteatting 
ot  Ho  &f)ings  SHortlj   tJjr  WivitinQ.      Poor  Richard. 


of 


He  followed  this  in  successive  issues  with  the  verification  of  Leed's  death 
as  predicted,  and  with  ridicule  of  foolish  assertions  to  the  contrary  purporting 
to  come  from  Leeds  himself,  and  after  a  few  years  when  Leeds  was  really  dead, 
with  a  letter  from  his  spirit  confirming  Poor  Richard's  assertions  and  promising 
co-operation  as  follows: 

"Dear  Friend  Saunders: 

My  respect  for  you  continues  even  in  this  separate  state,  and  I  am  griev'd 
to  see  the  aspersions  thrown  on  you  by  the  malevolence  of  avaricious  publishers 
of  Almanacks,  who  envy  your  success. 

They  say  your  prediction  of  my  death  in  1733  was  false,  and  they  pretend 
that  I  remained  alive  many  years  after.  But  I  do  hereby  certify,  that  I  did 
actually  die  at  that  time,  precisely  at  the  hour  you  mention'd,  with  a  variation 
only  of  5  min.  53  sec.  which  must  be  allow'd  to  be  no  great  matter  in  such 
cases.  And  I  do  farther  declare  that  I  furnish'd  them  with  no  calculations  of 
the  planets  motions,  &c.  seven  years  after  my  death,  as  they  are  pleased  to  give 
out:  so  that  the  stuff  they  publish  as  an  Almanack  in  my  name  is  no  more 
mine  than  'tis  yours. 

You  will  wonder  perhaps  how  this  paper  comes  written  on  your  table. 
You  must  know  that  no  separate  spirits  are  under  any  confinement  till  after 
the  final  settlement  of  all  accounts.  In  the  meantime  we  wander  where  we 
please,  visit  our  old  friends,  observe  their  actions,  enter  sometimes  into  their 
imaginations,  and  give  them  hints  waking  or  sleeping  that  may  be  of  advantage 

to  them.  Finding  you 
asleep,  I  entered  your  left 
nostril,  ascended  into 
your  brain,  found  out 
where  the  ends  of  those 
nerves  were  fastned  that 
move  your  right  hand 
and  fingers,  by  the  help 
of  which  I  am  now  writ- 
ing unknown  to  you;  but 
when  you  open  your 
eyes,  you  will  see  that 
the  hand  written  is  mine, 
'tho  wrote  with  yours. 

The  people  of  this  in- 
fidel age,  perhaps,  will 
hardly  believe  this  story. 
But  you  may  give  them 
these  three  signs  by  which 
they  shall  be  convinc'd 
of  the  truth  of  it.  About 
the  middle  of  June  next, 
J.  J.  *******n,  Philo- 
mat,  shall  be  openly  rec- 
onciled to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  give  all  his 
goods  and  chattels  to  the 
chappel,  being  perverted 


UlUUfam  jFranftlin, 
son  of  tttnjamfn 


tfjan  tye  jFool  from 


3tti!*nttT0c  from 

Poor  Richard. 


by  a  certain  country  school-master.  On  the  yth  of  September  following  my 
old  friend  W.  B.  ******t  shall  be  sober  9  hours,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  his 
neighbours:  And  about  the  same  time  W.  B.  and  A.  B.  will  publish  another 
Almanack  in  my  name,  in  spight  of  truth  and  common  sense. 

As  I  can  see  much  clearer  into  futurity,  since  I  got  free  from  the  dark 
prison  of  flesh,  in  which  I  was  continually  molested  and  almost  blinded  with 
fogs  arising  from  tiff,  and  the  smoke  of  burnt  drams;  I  shall  in  kindness  to 
you,  frequently  give  you  information  of  things  to  come,  for  the  improvement 
of  your  Almanack:  being,  Dear  Dick, 

Your  Affectionate  Friend, 

T.  Leeds" 

The  regular  tables  of  the  months  were  interspersed  with  proverbs  from 
many  sources  and  wise  maxims  of  his  own,  all  presented  in  his  inimitable 
manner  and  headed  by  original  verses  of  a  satirical  or  facetious  character. 
Included  also  were  chronological  tables,  list  of  the  courts  in  neighboring 
provinces,  the  stated  meetings  of  the  Quakers,  distances  to  the  surrounding 
places,  etc.  Franklin  continued  to  publish  the  almanac  with  unvarying  success 
for  twenty-five  years,  and  it  was  then  issued  by  his  successors  until  1796.  In 
this  time  Poor  Richard  had  become  an  immortal  character  and  his  wise  sayings 
were  spread  broadcast  in  every  language  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  subjection  of  his  animal  nature  was  one  of  the  unattained  principles 
of  Franklin's  Rules  of  Life,  and  he  candidly  relates  his  weakness  in  this  regard. 
As  a  consequence  an  illegitimate  son,  William  Franklin,  whose  mother  was 
never  known,  became  a  member  of  his  family  and  was  brought  up  with  full 
honor  and  advantages.  He  was  educated  in  London  as  a  barrister  and  held 
the  positions  of  Postmaster  of  Philadelphia  and  Provincial  Governor  of  New 
Jersey.  Franklin  had  two  other  children,  Francis  Folger  born  in  1732,  and 
Sarah  born  in  1743.  The  former,  an  extremely  promising  child,  died  of  small- 
pox at  four  years  of  age,  a  misfortune  which  his  father  could  never  recall  with- 
out pain.  Sarah  was  a  great  comfort  and  pleasure  to  him,  and  she  grew  up 
strong,  dutiful  and  accomplished,  marrying  Richard  Bache,  a  merchant  who 
failed  in  business  in  early  life,  and  through  Franklin  secured  a  position  in  the 
Philadelphia  Post  Office,  being  subsequently  Deputy  Postmaster  General. 

This  period  of  Franklin's  life  was  full  of  activity  and  study,  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  subsequent  renown.  In  1733  he  sent  one  of  his  journeymen 
to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  with  a  printing  outfit  and  took  a  partnership 
with  him  in  the  business.  He  proved  only  moderately  successful  and  died  not 
long  after,  leaving  the  business  in  a  precarious  condition,  but  his  widow  assumed 
its  management  with  such  profit  that  she  was  able  to  purchase  Franklin's 
interest  and  establish  her  son  in  its  conduct. 

He  took  up  the  study  of  languages,  beginning  with  French  which  he  soon 
mastered,  and  passed  through  Spanish  and  Italian  to  Latin  and  Greek;  he  had 
had  an  introduction  to  Latin  during  one  year  of  his  early  schooling,  but  had 
since  neglected  it,  and  he  was  surprised  to  discover  that  through  this  and  his 
study  of  modern  languages,  he  readily  acquired  proficiency  in  the  former. 

Franklin's  activity  in  business  and  the  Junto,  brought  him  increasing 
prominence,  and  in  1736  he  was  chosen  Clerk  of  the  General  Assembly.  The 
next  year  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Postmaster  General,  a  position  formerly 
held  by  his  competitor  Bradford.  It  was  characteristic  of  Franklin  to  turn  to 
the  utmost  private  benefit  all  private  and  public  opportunities,  a  fact  which  he 


fljoto  jFeto  ttjtte  art  2^ljo  |I?atot  (Eottvaflt  fBnougi)  to  <Dtou 
&ty  tt  jFauUs,  or  Resolution  ?=nou0Jj  to  Jttrnir  STtjem,  P.  R. 


of 


continually  and  very  ingenuously  calls  attention  to,  —  although  later  in  life  the 
public  phase  of  it  was  freely  criticised  by  his  enemies,  —  and  the  postmastership 
became  a  great  help  to  the  improvement  and  circulation  of  his  newspaper.  Like 
benefits  had  not  only  come  to  Bradford  during  his  term  in  the  office,  but  he 
had  denied  the  privilege  of  the  mails  to  the  Gazette,  reducing  Franklin  to  the 
necessity  of  bribing  the  carriers  for  its  surreptitious  delivery.  The  latter  did 
not  stoop  to  retaliate  under  the  reversed  conditions,  but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 
observing  a  gradual  decline  of  the  Mercury  owing  to  the  greater  quantity  of  news 
he  was  able  to  collect  and  the  consequent  increase  of  subscriptions.  His  office 
of  Clerk  to  the  Assembly  was  also  made  the  most  of,  and  it  was  therefore  with 
some  disquietude  that  he  noted  the  opposition  of  a  worthy  new  member  to  his 
second  annual  election.  This  member  desired  the  office  for  a  friend,  but 
Franklin  received  a  majority  of  the  votes  and  then  set  himself  to  gain  the 
friendship  of  the  antagonistic  member.  His  own  words  will  best  recount  his 
wisdom  in  the  matter: 

"I  therefore  did  not  like  the  opposition  of  this  new  member,  who  was  a 
gentleman  of  fortune  and  education,  with  talents  that  were  likely  to  give  him, 
in  time,  great  influence  in  the  House,  which,  indeed,  afterwards  happened.  I 
did  not,  however,  aim  at  gaining  his  favour  by  paying  any  servile  respect  to 
him,  but,  after  so'me  time,  took  this  other  method. 

Having  heard  that  he  had  in  his  library  a  certain  very  scarce  and  curious 
book,  I  wrote  a  note  to  him,  expressing  my  desire  of  perusing  that  book,  and 
requesting  he  would  do  me  the  favour  of  lending  it  to  me  for  a  few  days.  He 
sent  it  immediately,  and  I  returned  it  in  about  a  week  with  another  note,  ex- 
pressing strongly  my  sense  of  the  favour.  When  we  next  met  in  the  House, 
he  spoke  to  me  (which  he  had  never  done  before),  and  with  great  civility  ;  and 
he  ever  after  manifested  a  readiness  to  serve  me  on  all  occasions,  so  that  we 
became  great  friends,  and  our  friendship  continued  to  his  death.  This  is 
another  instance  of  the  truth  of  an  old  maxim  I  had  learned,  which  says,  —  '  He 
that  has  once  done  you  a  kindness  will  be  more  ready  to  do  you  another,  than 


in 

KtttO  Kt. 


iiusfmss 

Poor  Richard. 


he  whom  you  yourself  have  obliged.  '  And  it  shows  how  much  more  profit- 
able it  is  prudently  to  remove,  than  resent,  return  and  continue  inimical  pro- 
ceedings." 

About  this  time  he  began  to  interest  himself  in  some  of  the  particularly 
manifest  needs  of  his  town,  and  he  made  the  Junto  with  its  branches  and  grow- 
ing influence  a  very  serviceable  means  of  imparting  his  ideas.  In  view  of  the 
present  widespread  activity  in  and  recognition  of  Improvement  Societies  and 
Civic  Associations,  which  are  deemed  a  modern  conception,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  the  fruitful  energy  of  this  organization  on  the  fines  of  civic  betterment 
advocated  by  Franklin,  and  the  permanence  and  value  of  the  resulting  institu- 
tions. He  first  pointed  out  the  corruption  and  inadequacy  of  the  sporadic 
night  watch  system  of  Philadelphia,  which  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
ward  constables  who  were  empowered  to  call  on  a  certain  number  of  citizens  for 
service  each  night,  in  lieu  of  which  a  tax  of  six  shillings  might  be  paid  which 
secured  release  from  such  service  for  one  year.  This  was  commonly  taken 
advantage  of  by  the  better  classes,  and  many  evils  resulted  from  the  system,  as 
the  taxes  went  to  the  constables  and  they  profited  by  employing,  at  very  low 
wages,  a  disreputable  set  that  was  more  a  menace  than  a  protection,  and  utterly 
unreliable  as  to  patrol.  He  also  argued  the  injustice  of  the  specific  tax,  which 
for  a  poor  widow  was  the  same  as  for  a  rich  merchant  who  had  many  goods  to 
protect.  He  advocated  the  hiring  of  capable  men  to  serve  constantly,  who 
should  be  paid  from  a  tax  levied  in  proportion  to  property ;  and  though  it  took 
some  years  to  overthrow  the  established  system  it  was  finally  done  and  the 
foundation  of  the  modern  police  system  was  laid. 

In  a  paper  read  before  the  Junto  he  called  attention  to  the  frequency  with 
which  fires  occurred,  their  causes,  and  means  of  preventing  them.  This  led  to 
the  formation  of  a  company  of  thirty  members  who  each  agreed  to  keep  ready 
for  use  a  certain  number  of  leather  buckets,  strong  bags  and  baskets,  the  latter 
for  transporting  goods,  and  to  bring  them  to  every  fire. 


¥ott  ftersuatre,  Speatt  of  Kntmat, 

Of  XUa&Otl.        Poor  Richard. 


«*  ZLife  an*  SrtUites  of 


They  also  met  once  a  month  to  pass  a  social  evening  and  discuss  ideas  for 
more  effective  service.  As  with  the  Junto,  too  many  applied  for  membership 
and  they  were  recommended  to  form  other  companies  so  that  in  a  short  time 
they  became  so  numerous  as  to  include  nearly  all  the  property  owners  of  the  city. 
The  Union  Fire  Company,  as  that  formed  by  Franklin  was  called,  was  in  active 
service  nearly  sixty  years  and  its  apparatus,  purchased  with  small  fines  levied 
on  members  who  failed  to  attend  the  meetings,  included  an  engine,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  buckets,  thirteen  ladders,  two  hooks  and  a  long  rope.  These  associa- 
tions did  good  work  in  preventing  the  spread  of  fires  and  greatly  reduced  the 
losses  from  this  cause. 

Franklin's  circumstances  were  now  becoming  easy  through  the  large  profits 
of  his  newspaper  and  other  interests,  and  he  decided  to  establish  a  number  of 
his  deserving  workmen  in  various  places,  as  he  had  done  earlier  in  South  Caro- 
lina. Nearly  all  of  them  prospered  and  at  the  end  of  six  years,  for  which  the 
partnership  was  specified,  purchased  Franklin's  interest  and  continued  success- 
fully in  the  business. 

In  his  consideration  of  the  needs  of  the  community  Franklin  realized  two 
serious  deficiencies  and  set  about  remedying  them.  One  of  these  was  the  lack 
of  facilities  for  the  higher  education  of  youth,  and  the  other  the  total  absence 
of  protective  militia.  For  the  first  he  proposed  the  establishment  of  an 
academy  and  had  in  mind  a  clergyman  whom  he  thought  suited  to  direct  it,  — 
but  this  man,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Peters,  had  other  plans,  in  the  service  of  the 
Proprietors,  and  so  the  project  languished  for  a  while.  The  lack  of  militia  was 
largely  due  to  the  peculiar  political  conditions  prevailing  in  Pennsylvania; 
The  hereditary  proprietors  were  strongly  represented  in  the  Assembly,  and 
with  others  of  Quaker  faith,  for  economical  and  religious  reasons  they  persis- 
tently opposed  any  appropriation  of  funds  for  this  purpose.  Knowing  that 
there  was  no  hope  of  securing  official  initiative,  although  the  Governor  was 
strongly  in  favor  of  it,  Franklin  wrote  and  published  a  pamphlet  called  "Plain 
Truth"  in  which  he  reccrunted  the  dangers  of  invasion  because  of  the  war  then 
waging  between  England  and  Spain  —  which  had  recently  been  joined  by  France, 
and  urged  a  voluntary  association  to  set  up  a  battery  and  be  ready  to  defend 
the  city  if  the  enemy  should  seek  reprisals  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

The  pamphlet  was  widely  approved,  and  he  then  called  a  public  meeting 
for  subscription  to  the  rolls.  This  was  well  attended  and  was  presided  over  by 
Franklin,  who  further  advocated  the  plan  and  provided  numerous  printed 
forms  bearing  the  articles  of  the  Association,  which  he  exhorted  the  audience  to 
sign. 

This  request  was  eagerly  complied  with,  and  it  was  found  when  the  papers 
were  collected  that  over  twelve  hundred  had  pledged  themselves  to  member- 
ship. Other  copies  were  circulated  in  the  surrounding  country,  and  within  a 
short  time  the  membership  was  increased  to  ten  thousand.  These  soon  armed 
and  formed  themselves  into  companies  and  regiments,  and  met  each  week  to  drill 
and  perfect  themselves  in  military  knowledge.  Franklin  was  chosen  for  Colonel 
of  the  Philadelphia  regiment,  but  he  considered  himself  unfit  for  the  office  and 
recommended  a  Mr.  Lawrence,  who  was  of  fine  presence  and  influential,  and 
he  was  accordingly  elected.  Franklin  then  proposed  a  lottery  to  raise  money 
to  build  a  battery  and  equip  it  with  cannon.  Lotteries  were  at  that  time  fully 
accredited  and  popular,  and  served  many  worthy  purposes.  This  one  soon 
"filled"  and  the  battery  was  built  of  logs  filled  around  with  earth.  The  matter 
of  obtaining  cannon  was  not  so  easy,  as  there  were  comparatively  few  in  the 


to  tot  Safe,  it* 

2TO  fcr  -StCUVC.        Poor  Richard. 


lirniamin 


country  and  no  facilities  for  making 
them.  A  few  old  ones  were  purchased 
from  Boston  and  others  ordered  from 
England,  a  somewhat  hopeless  request 
being  at  the  same  time  sent  to  the 
Proprietors  for  assistance  in  the  work. 
Their  greatest  accessions  resulted, 
however,  from  the  visit  of  Franklin, 
Col.  Lawrence  and  two  other  leaders 
to  New  York  to  request  a  loan  of 
ordinance  from  Governor  Clinton. 
The  following,  Franklin's  account  of 
their  experiences,  throws  a  light  on 
many  of  the  operations  of  the  times: 

"He  at  first  refused  us  peremp- 
torily; but  at  dinner  with  his  council, 
where  there  was  great  drinking  of 
Madeira  wine,  as  the  custom  of  that 
place  then  was,  he  softened  by  degrees, 
and  said  he  would  lend  us  six.  After 

a  few  more  bumpers  he  advanc'd  to  ten,  and  at  length  he  very  good-naturedly 
conceded  eighteen.  They  were  fine  cannon,  eighteen-pounders,  which  were 
soon  transported  and  mounted  on  our  battery,  where  the  associators  kept  a 
nightly  guard  while  the  war  lasted,  and  among  the  rest  I  regularly  took  a  turn 
of  duty  there  as  a  common  soldier." 

Franklin's  activities  in  these  affairs  brought  him  into  close  touch  with 
Governor  Thomas  and  his  council,  and  he  was  consulted  on  every  measure  by 
which  they  proposed  to  help  the  organization.  At  his  suggestion  the  Governor 
issued  a  proclamation  for  a  fast  to  implore  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  the 
undertaking.  This  was  the  first  proclamation  of  this  sort  issued  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  as  no  one  else  was  familiar  with  the  form,  Franklin's  New  England 
education  was  of  service  and  he  drew  it  up  in  the  style  to  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed in  youth.  This  was  printed  in  English  and  German,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  many  colonists  of  the  latter  nationality,  and  being  published  through  the 
clergy  was  very  effective  in  gaining  recruits.  It  was  feared  by  some  of  Franklin's 
friends  that  this  warlike  activity  would  alienate  his  support  by  the  Quaker 
members  of  the  Assembly  at  the  next  election  of  Clerk.  One  young  man  who 
sought  the  office  for  himself  took  advantage  of  this  apprehension  to  inform 
Franklin  that  it  had  been  decided  to  displace  him,  and  he  thought  he  might  prefer 
to  resign  rather  than  be  turned  out.  Franklin's  reply  was  :  "  I  have  read  or 
heard  of  some  public  man  who  made  it  a  rule  never  to  ask  for  an  office,  and 
never  to  refuse  one  offer'd  him.  I  approve  of  his  rule  and  will  practice  it  with 
a  small  addition:  I  shall  never  ask,  never  refuse,  nor  ever  resign  an  office." 
No  more  was  heard  of  the  opposition  and  Franklin  was  again  unanimously 
elected. 

•  The  tenets  of  the  Quaker  faith  were  often  a  source  of  embarrassment  to 
its  representatives  in  the  Assembly  who  desired  to  serve  the  interests  of  the 
province  and  the  crown.  They  could  not  consistently  vote  money  for  war, 
and  so  when  the  king  called  for  grants  for  military  purposes  they  satisfied  the 
letter  of  their  creed  and  the  king's  requirements  by  voting  sums  "for  the  Kings 


* 


P.  R. 


ILffr  an* 


THE  ART  OF  MAKING  MONEY  PLENTY 
IN  EVERY  MAN'S  POCKET 
BY  DOCTOR  FRANKLIN 


actjuaMp-wilA  Inn  tuu.MC>ulol. 


net  Aunaet  •&&  t/ue  rwr 

i./.  /_     ..,//./_..  ^ 


Itttws 


use"  Once  when  the  de- 
mand came  from  New  Eng- 
land to  furnish  gunpowder 
for  the  king's  troops  at 
Louisburg  and  the  above 
circumlocution  was  inappli- 
cable, they  voted  an  aid  of 
three  thousand  pounds  "to 
be  put  into  the  hands  of  the 
Governor  for  the  purchas- 
ing of  bread,  flour,  wheat  or 
other  grain"  and  calmly 
viewed  the  purchase  of  gun- 
powder. This  adroitness 
was  remembered  by  Frank- 
lin who  planned  to  use  like 
tactics  to  their  discomfiture 
on  an  occasion  when  it  was 
feared  that  the  Quaker 
members  of  the  fire  com- 
pany would  defeat  a  propo- 
sal to  apply  the  funds  of 
the  company,  some  sixty 
pounds,  to  the  purchase  of 
tickets  in  the  militia  lottery. 
It  turned  out  that  only  one  of  them  opposed  the  plan,  and  that  many  of  the 
twenty-one  of  that  faith  were  ready  to  support  it  if  necessary  although  they 
preferred  not  to  attend  the  meeting.  Franklin's  plan  was  to  secure  their  votes 
for  the  purchase  of  a  fire-engine,  and  then  by  having  himself  and  another, 
designated  a  committee  for  the  purpose,  to  buy  a  great  gun  which  he  asserted 
was  unquestionably  a  "fire  engine."  He,  doubtless,  would  have  enjoyed  giving 
this  lesson  of  their  own  teaching. 

Soon  after  this,  peace  was  concluded,  and  Franklin  returned  to  his  project 
of  founding  an  academy.  Following  his  settled  policy  of  keeping  himself  in 
the  background  in  these  schemes  of  public  improvement,  he  secured  the  co- 
operation of  a  number  of  friends,  several  of  whom  were  members  of  the  Junto, 
and  in  their  names  he  published  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "Proposals  relating  to  the 
Education  of  Youth  in  Philadelphia."  This  he  distributed  among  the  principal 
inhabitants  and  when  he  thought  they  had  had  time  to  consider  it  he  followed 
with  a  subscription  for  opening  and  supporting  an  academy.  By  making  the 
sum  pledged  payable  in  yearly  installments  for  five  years  he  undoubtedly 
secured  a  greater  aggregate,  which  he  tells  us  was  no  less  than  five  thousand 
pounds.  Twenty-four  trustees  were  chosen,  and  under  a  constitution  drawn  up 
by  Franklin  and  the  Attorney-General,  Mr.  Francis,  a  house  was  hired,  teachers 
engaged  and  the  school  opened.  It  soon  outgrew  the  facilities  at  hand  and 
through  Franklin's  agency  a  very  large  building,  which  had  been  erected 
for  the  followers  of  George  Whitefield,  the  evangelist,  but  which  since  his 
departure  for  other  fields  had  been  a  considerable  burden  to  the  trustees,  of 
which  Franklin  was  one,  was  secured.  During  the  great  enthusiasm  of  the 
revival  the  building  was  quickly  built,  and,  dedicated  to  undenominational  ser- 
vices, opened  to  preachers  of  every  faith.  By  assuming  its  debts,  guaranteeing 


2&itf)QUt  SE&ucatiou 
2Ufec  Sf Itorr  in  tijr  JKinr* 


Poor  Richard. 


mnjamtn 


the  reservation  of  a  large  hall  for  the  use  of  itinerant  preachers  and  the  main- 
tenance of  a  free  school  for  poor  children,  the  trustees  of  the  academy  came 
into  possession  of  this  building,  and  under  Franklin's  superintendence  remodeled 
and  added  to  it  with  very  gratifying  results.  The  school  flourished  with  a  rec- 
tor of  Franklin's  selection,  but  later  when  politics  made  Franklin  a  target  for 
much  abuse,  both  rector  and  pupils  forgot  his  services  in  creating  the  insti- 
tution and  issued  many  pamphlets  opposing  and  criticising  him.  After  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  when  it  had  become  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
these  differences  were  obliterated,  and  Franklin  again  became  a  trustee  and  was 
chosen  president  of  that  body. 

During  the  years  of  his  activity  in  founding  these  institutions  Franklin 
also  found  leisure  to  continue  his  studies  and  experiments.  His  mind  was 
always  open  to  consider  any  problem  that  method  or  chance  brought  to  his 
attention,  and  to  all  these  he  gave  scholarly  thought,  much  of  which  he  care- 
fully recorded,  although  some  of  the  subjects  today  appear  trivial.  This  was 
his  mental  nature,  however,  and  whether  it  were  rebuses,  magic  squares,  or  the 
newly  discovered  phenomena  of  electricity  that  were  uppermost,  the  results 
were  definite  and  in  many  cases  valuable.  One  of  his  important  inventions, 
made  just  previous  to  his  taking  up  of  public  affairs  was  what  he  called  the 
Pennsylvania  Fireplace,  now  known  in  a  modified  form  as  the  Franklin  stove. 
The  large  open  fire-places  of  the  period  burned  great  quantities  of  wood  and 
radiated  little  heat.  Franklin  devised  a  sort  of  stove  to  set  within  the  fire-place, 
with  which,  through  a  clear  appreciation  of  the  properties  of  hot  and  cold  air 
and  a  skillful  application  of  their  governing  principles,  he  was  able  to  create 
and  maintain  a  draught  through  a  devious  passage  that  radiated  a  very  large 

percentage  of  the  heat  of  the  wood  burning  on 
the  grate.  The  results  were  much  warmer 
rooms  than  had  been  possible  before,  and  a  great 
reduction  in  the  quantity  of  fuel  required.  To 
explain  this  appliance  to  his  neighbors  Frank- 
lin published  a  pamphlet,  which  is  not  only  an 
example  of  his  pains-taking  research  but  a  de- 
lightful essay  of  permanent  interest.  He  argued 
the  benefits  of  warm  air,  reviewed  current  meth- 
ods of  heating  in  this  and  other  countries,  and 
demonstrated  the  superiority  of  his  invention 
and  the  manner  of  installing  and  operating  it. 
The  fire-place  became  very  popular  and  he  gave 
the  patterns  to  his  friend  Robert  Grace,  who 
was  an  iron-founder,  and  who  did  a  thriving 
business  through  them.  Franklin  did  not  take 
out  a  patent  on  this,  as  he  believed  that  every- 
one should  freely  contribute  his  discoveries  and 
inventions  for  the  common  good,  so  he  derived 
no  pecuniary  benefit  from  it.  Some  time  after- 
ward he  learned  that  an  iron-monger  in  London 
had  appropriated  the  idea  and  patented  it  with 
great  profit. 

Franklin's  Franklin  had  relieved  himself  of  all   the 

Philadelphia  Fireplace.          details  of  his  printing  business  by  taking  as  a 
(¥r,mhii  model.)  partner  Mr.  David  Hall,  who  had  been   in  his 


to 
are  Best  to  UTottvaelf.    P.  R. 


2Ufr  anir  SerfcUrs  of 


=3 

employ  for  a  number  of  years  and  who  proved  very  capable  and  methodical. 
He  planned  to  devote  the  leisure  thus  gained  to  the  study  of  electricity  and 
other  natural  phenomena,  and  he  purchased  the  physical  apparatus  of  Dr.  Spence 
who  had  come  from  England  to  lecture.  Franklin  had  some  time  before  re- 
ceived as  a  present  from  Mr.  Peter  Collinson  of  London  a  glass  sphere  to  be 
rubbed  with  silk  to  generate  electricity,  and  he  had  been  greatly  interested  in 
the  new  force,  for  the  study  of  which  he  had  built  improved  apparatus,  and  had 
entertained  many  people  with  exhibitions  of  its  working.  He  entered  upon 
systematic  experimenting  with  keen  delight,  but  he  was  destined  to  be  seriously 
interrupted,  as  no  sooner  was  it  known  that  he  had  retired  from  his  printing 
office  than  the  public  seized  upon  him  for  all  sorts  of  services.  The  Governor 
put  him  on  several  important  commissions,  he  was  elected  successively  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Common  Council,  Alderman,  and  as  a  Burgess  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  He  found  the  latter  office  very  congenial  and  was  re-elected 
for  ten  years,  until  he  again  went  to  England,  without  solicitation  or  other  effort 
on  his  part,  and  through  this  membership  he  was  enabled  to  accomplish  a  great 
deal  of  good  for  various  causes.  One  of  the  first  of  these  was  the  making  of 
a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  for  which  he,  with  Mr.  Norris,  the  Speaker  of  the 
House,  and  two  members  of  the  Governor's  council  journeyed  to  Carlisle. 
They  found  the  Indians  very  disorderly  through  drink,  and  they  immediately 
forbade  any  rum  to  be  sold  them  until  after  the  treaty  was  concluded,  promising 
them  their  fill  when  the  business  was  over.  By  this  means  a  very  satisfactory 
treaty  was  secured,  the  Indians  deliberating  in  a  very  dignified  and  orderly 
manner;  but  they  turned  again  to  savages  of  the  most  abhorrent  type  when 
the  promised  rum  was  delivered  ;  men  and  women  making  a  pandemonium  of 
the  night,  dancing  and  shouting  frantically  around  a  huge  bonfire  in  the  center 
of  the  Square,  and  chasing  one  another  with  fire-brands  in  their  quarrels. 

Another  project  which  he  was  enabled  to  realize  was  the  establishment  of 
a  hospital  in  Philadelphia,  the  first  institution  of  this  kind  in  the  country. 
The  idea  had  been  conceived  by  his  friend,  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  but  this  gentle- 
man had  been  unable  to  convince  the  people  of  its  benefits  and  so  had  secured 
few  subscriptions.  Many  whom  he  solicited  asked  him  what  Franklin  thought 
of  it,  and  so  he  appealed  to  the  latter  for  assistance  although  he  had  at  first 
thought  it  out  of  the  other's  line.  Franklin  subscribed  for  himself  and  entered 
heartily  into  the  work,  soliciting  of  others,  and  then  secured  the  passage  of  a 
bill  in  the  Assembly  authorizing  an  appropriation  of  two  thousand  pounds  to 
be  paid  to  the  managers  of  the  fund  when  they  had  obtained  pledge  of  an  equal 
sum  from  individuals.  This  was  a  plan  to  overcome  the  decided  opposition  of 
many  representatives  who  believed  that  the  conditions  could  not  be  met,  and 
that  they  would  thus  appear  public  spirited  without  expense  to  the  treasury. 
Franklin  and  his  associates  then  went  to  the  people  with  the  argument  that  by 
this  enactment  the  donation  of  each  would  be  doubled  and  soon  raised  the  full 
sum.  A  suitable  building  was  erected  and  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  favor- 
ably established.  It  proved  such  a  blessing  that  Franklin  says  in  his  Autobi- 
ography: "I  do  not  remember  any  of  my  political  manoeuvres,  the  success  of 
which  gave  me  at  the  time  more  pleasure,  or  wherein,  after  thinking  of  it,  I 
more  easily  excused  myself  for  having  made  some  use  of  cunning." 

From  these  important  works  we  find  him  turning  to  minor  conveniences 
with  equal  enthusiasm  and  effectiveness.  He  deplored  the  filthy  condition  of 
Philadelphia's  important  streets,  and  by  means  of  small  experiments  and  the 
co-operation  of  abuttors  he  demonstrated  the  benefits  of  pavements,  and 


ZZltU  Bone  in  better  £f)an  WitU  SaCK.    Poor  Richard. 


Urn  jamfn 


moulded  public  opinion  into  approval  of  taxation  for  continuing  the  work. 
He  also  called  attention  to  the  desirability  of  street-lamps,  by  following  the 
example  of  Mr.  John  Clifton  and  placing  one  before  his  door.  Though 
Franklin  disclaims  the  initiative  in  this,  he  refers  to  his  study  of  the  faults  of 
the  London  type  of  lamp  for  this  purpose,  the  effectiveness  of  improvements 
which  he  devised,  and  to  his  efforts  as  usual,  in  public  discussion  of  the  matter. 
His  comments  on  these  activities  furnish  a  wise  rendering  of  a  great  truth. 
"Some  may  think  these  trifling  matters  not  worth  minding  or  relating, — Human 
felicity  is  produc'd  not  so  much  by  great  pieces  of  good  fortune  that  seldom 
happen  as  by  little  advantages  that  occur  every  day." 

On  the  death  in  1753,  of  Colonel  Spotswood,  the  Postmaster-General, 
Franklin  and  Mr.  William  Hunter  were  jointly  appointed  to  that  office. 
Their  salaries  were  to  be  three  hundred  pounds  each  per  annum,  if  they  could 
make  that  amount  above  the  expenses  of  the  department,  and  they  succeeded 
so  well  in  regulating  and  re-organizing  it  that  the  office,  which  had  never  before 
been  remunerative  to  the  British  government,  paid  in  a  few  years,  a  profit  equal 
to  three  times  the  revenue  of  the  post-office  of  Ireland.  They  took  bold 
measures  to  accomplish  this,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  were  obliged  to 
make  good,  out  of  their  own  pockets,  a  deficiency  of  over  nine  hundred  pounds, 
but  notwithstanding  their  later  success  their  efforts  were  not  appreciated  by  the 
ministers,  and  they  were  subsequently  removed,  after  which  the  office  lapsed 
to  its  former  unprofitable  condition. 

In  1754  a  congress  of  commissioners  from  the  different  colonies  was  called 
to  meet  at  Albany  to  confer  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  to  arrange  for 

defending  the  country  in  the  event  of  the  anticipated 
war  with  France.  Franklin  was  one  of  the  four 
chosen  by  the  House  to  represent  Pennsylvania  on 
this  occasion,  and  on  the  journey  to  Albany  he  con- 
ceived a  plan  of  union  of  the  forces  of  the  provinces 
under  a  central  government,  which  contained  the 
elements  of  the  National  Union  ultimately  devel- 
oped by  the  Revolution.  When  the  congress  con- 
vened he  found  that  others  had  similar  ideas  but  his 
was  conceded  to  be  superior  in  its  details  and  was 
discussed  and  adopted  in  the  intervals  of  the  business 
with  the  Indians.  It  was  then  recommended  to  the 
Provincial  Governments  and  to  the  Board  of  Trade 
of  England,  which  had  proposed  the  congress,  with 
the  result  that  at  home  it  was  rejected  for  unduly 
favoring  the  Crown,  while  in  England  it  was  held  to 
be  too  democratic.  This  contrariety  of  opinion  con- 
vinced its  author  of  its  suitability,  as  he  sought  such 
a  basis  of  mutual  concession  in  the  relations  of  the 
two  countries,  and  later,  when  serious  differences 
arose,  he  worked  consistently  to  this  end.  Franklin 
greatly  regretted  the  loss  of  this  opportunity  to  unite 
the  provinces,  and  regarding  it  he  observes:— "Those 
who  govern,  having  much  business  on  their  hands, 
do  not  generally  like  to  take  the  trouble  of  consid- 
ering and  carrying  into  execution  new  projects. 
The  best  public  measures  are  therefore  seldom 


One  of  Franklin's 
Electrical  Machines. 


Bribe 


fcuofncas,  or  Ct  25HUI  DrUic  ®fjee.    P-  R- 


z6      Efjr  zufe  an* 


90& 


Tie tu  of  tijc   Dcnnsi'itianf* 

adopted  from  previous  wisdom,  but  forc'd  by  the  occasion." 

Hostilities  with  France  were  fast  approaching  and  the  government  of  the 
Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  projected  an  expedition  to  capture  the  enemy's 
stronghold  at  Crown  Point.  To  assist  in  defraying  the  expense  of  this  Mr. 
Pownall  was  sent  to  New  York,  and  Mr.  Quincy  to  Pennsylvania,  to  solicit 
appropriations  from  the  assemblies  of  those  provinces.  Mr.  Quincy  sought 
Franklin's  aid  in  the  matter  and  the  latter  so  favorably  presented  it  to  the 
assembly  that  a  grant  often  thousand  pounds,  to  be  laid  out  in  provisions,  was 
voted  at  once.  This  was  included  in  a  general  appropriation  bill  which  required 
the  governor's  signature  to  become  operative  and  that  official  seized  this  oppor- 
tunity to  enforce  the  customary  demand  of  his  principals,  the  hereditary  pro- 
prietors, that  their  estates  be  exempted  from  taxation  for  these  purposes. 

This  was  the  perennial  bone  of  contention  in  Pennsylvania  politics  and 
the  governor  remained  obdurate  alike  to  the  demands  of  the  house  and  the 
solicitation  of  Quincy.  At  this  juncture  Franklin  again  effected  his  purpose 
by  finesse  and  secured  the  funds  without  the  co-operation  of  the  governor. 
He  recalled  a  provision  of  the  general  laws  by  which  the  assembly  had  the 
right  to  issue  orders  on  the  Loan  Office,  a  sort  of  forerunner  of  the  National 
Banks,  whose  funds  were  derived  from  the  interest  on  paper  currency  out  on 
loans,  and  the  excise  revenue.  At  his  suggestion  the  assembly  authorized  these 
orders  for  the  ten  thousand  pounds  voted  to  Massachusetts,  and  through  them 
the  money  was  quickly  obtained,  to  the  delight  of  Mr.  Quincy  who  was  deeply 
grateful  to  Franklin  for  his  good  offices,  and  became  one  of  his  firm  friends. 

Instead  of  intrusting  the  defense  of  the  western  frontier  to  a  unification  of 
the  provincial  forces,  the  British  government  sent  over  General  Braddock  with 
two  regiments  of  regulars  to  accomplish  this  purpose,  and  especially  to  capture 
Fort  Duquesne,  a  French  stronghold  on  the  Ohio  river.  He  landed  at  Alex- 


P. 


Ernf  amfu 


andria  and  marched  his  troops  through  Virginia  and  Maryland  to  the  hostile 
country,  insulting  and  plundering  the  inhabitants  with  arrogant  freedom. 

The  Pennsylvania  Assembly  learned  indirectly  that  the  general  was 
strongly  prejudiced  against  it  because  of  supposed  antagonism  to  his  service, 
and  Franklin  was  requested  to  attend  the  army,  as  postmaster-general,  under 
the  pretense  of  solicitude  for  its  postal  facilities,  but  in  reality  to  assure  General 
Braddock  of  the  government's  sympathy  with  his  expedition.  He  took  his  son 
with  him  and  they  found  the  army  resting  at  Frederictown  while  the  surround- 
ing country  was  being  searched  for  horses  and  wagons  to  transport  its  stores. 
After  spending  several  days  in  camp  and  accomplishing  the  purpose  of  his 
visit,  Franklin  was  about  to  depart  when  the  details  returned  with  the  report 
that  but  twenty-five  wagons  of  a  very  poor  sort  could  be  found.  General 
Braddock  was  dismayed  and  would  have  abandoned  the  campaign  but  Franklin 
offered  his  assistance  and  promised  to  gather  the  one-hundred  and  fifty  teams 
required.  After  arranging  the  necessary  details  and  securing  the  general's 
written  agreement  to  pay  the  owners  for  their  outfits  and  services,  Franklin 
went  to  Lancaster  and  issued  an  advertisement  stating  in  full  just  what  was 
desired,  and  followed  it  with  a  letter  of  appeal  in  which  he  commended  the 
purpose  of  the  expedition  and  pointed  out  the  prudence  of  voluntarily  furnish- 
ing at  good  remuneration  what  might  otherwise  be  taken  by  force. 

These  announcements  stirred  the  farmers,  and  in  two  weeks  the  required 
number  of  four-horse  wagons,  with  drivers,  supplies,  and  upward  of  two-hundred 
and  fifty  pack-horses  were  on  their  way  to  the  army.  General  Braddock  had 
supplied  eight  hundred  pounds  for  advance  payment  but  this  proved  insufficient 
and  Franklin  advanced  two-hundred  pounds  from  his  own  pocket  besides  giv- 
ing bonds  to  the  amount  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  to  indemnify  the  owners 
against  loss  of  the  equipment.  The  general  was  very  grateful  for  this  support 
and  repaid  Franklin  for  his  outlay,  thanking  him  many  times  for  his  labor. 
The  success  of  this  undertaking  led  him  to  request  Franklin  to  forward  supplies 
to  him  while  on  the  march,  which  the  latter  promised  to  do,  and  returning  to 
Philadelphia  advanced  upwards  of  one  thousand  pounds  for  the  purpose. 
Franklin  had  modestly  offered  suggestions  as  to  the  Indian  method  of  warfare 
but  Braddock  disdained  these  with  the  assurance  that  his  seasoned  British 
troops  could  not  possibly  be  defeated  by  such  tactics,  and  that  Fort  Duquesne 
would  be  speedily  taken  and  the  march  continued  to  Niagara.  He  was 
doomed  to  a  fatal  enlightenment  from  this  conceit  and  before  reaching  Fort 
Duquesne  his  army  was  attacked  from  ambush,  routed  with  great  loss,  and  the 
general  mortally  wounded.  The  demoralized  remnant  of  the  forces  returned  to 
Philadelphia  for  protection,  and  Franklin  found  himself  besieged  for  payment 
for  the  forfeited  property  which  he  had  guaranteed.  Fortunately  he  had  ren- 
dered a  bill  for  the  provisions,  which  had  been  honored  by  an  order  on  the 
paymaster  just  before  the  defeat,  and  he  was  able  to  satisfy  the  claimants  until 
they  were  indemnified  by  General  Shirley,  otherwise  he  would  have  been 
ruined  through  his  zeal. 

Although  he  had  no  military  aspirations,  Franklin's  inseparable  connection 
with  all  important  public  affairs  brought  him  necessarily  to  the  front  in  plans 
of  defense  from  the  Indians,  whose  violences  were  at  this  time  a  matter  of  great 
concern.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  drafting  and  passing,  in  the  Assembly, 
a  compromise  bill  by  which  the  proprietors  were  allowed  to  contribute  specific- 
ally the  sum  of  five  thousand  pounds  of  an  appropriation  of  sixty  thousand 
pounds  for  defending  the  frontier,  in  lieu  of  submitting  to  taxation  of  their 


DtUfltuce  Dtomomrs  Difficulties, 

SlOtJ)  #*aiiCS   £1)Cm.      Poor  Richard. 


Serfoites  of 


estates  for  this  purpose,  and  by  the  act  he  was  made  one  of  the  commissioners 
for  expending  the  fund.  At  the  same  time  he  secured  the  enactment  of  a  bill 
for  establishing  and  disciplining  a  volunteer  militia,  and  published  a  fictitious 
dialogue  setting  forth  many  objections  to  the  plan,  with  convincing  answers. 
At  a  time  when  the  bonds  of  government  were  weak  and  individual  independ- 
ence aggressive,  Franklin's  consistent  reliance  upon  leading  rather  than  coerc- 
ing the  people  in  all  affairs,  was  a  prime  element  of  his  popularity  and  success, 
and  most  gratifying  evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  his  long-practiced  principles  of 
intercourse,  which  may  be  termed  diplomacy  but  which  from  the  benevolence 
of  their  intent  seem  better  described  as  tact.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  first 
bill  it  was  decided  to  build  three  forts  on  the  north-western  frontier  of  the 
province,  and  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the  governor,  Franklin  consented  to 
direct  the  operations.  He  was  commissioned  as  commander  and  given  full 
power  to  appoint  all  subordinate  officers,  and  he  soon  raised  five  hundred  and 
sixty  men,  many  of  them  proficient  in  woodcraft;  these  he  assembled  at 
Bethlehem,  from  whence  he  set  out  with  the  main  body  for  Gnadenhut,  a 
Moravian  village  which  had  recently  been  burned  and  its  inhabitants  massacred, 
while  he  sent  one  detachment  northward  and  another  southward  to  fortify  other 
points  on  the  frontier.  This  was  in  midwinter  and  the  labor  was  arduous,  but 
such  was  the  skill  of  the  men  and  the  effectiveness  of  his  directions  that  in  less 
than  a  week  a  fort  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  circumference  was  built  of 
logs  placed  upright  in  the  form  of  palisades,  with  loopholes,  and  a  stage  around 
the  inside  six  feet  from  the  ground.  They  encountered  no  opposition  from 
the  Indians  although  evidences  were  frequently  discovered  that  small  parties  of 
them  had  watched  the  operations.  The  fort  was  hardly  completed  and  its 
maintenance  provided  for,  when  Franklin  received  a  letter  from  the  governor 
and  others  from  friends  in  the  Assembly,  urging  him  to  return  as  soon  as  he 
could  be  spared,  to  attend  the  session,  which  the  governor  had  found  it  neces- 
sary to  convene.  It  happened  that  Colonel  Clapham,  a  New  England  officer, 
was  on  a  visit  to  the  place  at  that  time,  and  Franklin  turned  over  the  command 
to  him,  reading  his  commission  before  the  men  with  the  assurances  that  this 
officer  was  much  more  competent  to  direct  them  than  himself,  and  started  back 
to  Philadelphia.  On  reaching  Bethlehem  he  decided  to  rest  a  few  days  to  re- 
cover from  the  fatigue  of  camp  life,  which  had  become  so  habitual  that  it  was 
difficult  for  him  to  rest  in  the  good  bed  here  provided.  He  was  much  inter- 
ested in  the  conduct  and  customs  of  this  Moravian  settlement  and  left  it  with 
increased  respect  for  its  people. 

The  volunteer  association  was  well  under  way  when  he  arrived  again  at 
Philadelphia,  nearly  twelve  hundred  men  having  signed  the  rolls.  The  captains 
and  other  officers  of  the  various  companies  having  been  chosen,  they  elected 
him  colonel,  and  this  time  having  become  somewhat  accustomed  to  military 
service,  he  accepted  the  command  though  still  somewhat  averse  to  prominence 
of  that  sort.  On  the  occasion  of  the  first  review  of  his  command,  which  in- 
cluded a  company  of  artillery  with  six  brass  field-pieces,  they  accompanied  him 
to  his  home  and  fired  a  salute  which,  he  regretfully  relates,  knocked  down  and 
broke  several  pieces  of  his  electrical  apparatus.  Soon  after  this  an  incident 
occurred  which  testified  to  his  popularity  with  his  officers,  although  it  caused 
Franklin  considerable  annoyance.  Having  learned  that  he  was  about  to  start 
on  a  journey  to  Virginia,  the  officers  planned  to  escort  him  in  state  to  the 
ferry,  and,  to  the  number  of  about  forty  appeared  at  his  door  mounted  and  in 
uniform,  just  as  he  was  leaving  on  horse-back.  His  description  of  the  incident 


safslj  Xot  so  ittttri)  to  ZLffce  Hon0 

tO    3L(fot    2UKfU.        ^oo^  Richard. 


He  nj  a  m  i  u 


clearly  indicates  his  attitude  toward  such  affairs : — "I  was  a  good  deal  chagrin'd 
at  their  appearance,  as  I  could  not  avoid  their  accompanying  me.  What  made 
it  worse  was,  that,  as  soon  as  we  began  to  move,  they  drew  their  swords  and 
rode  with  them  naked  all  the  way.  Somebody  wrote  an  account  of  this  to  the 
proprietor,  and  it  gave  him  great  offence.  No  such  honor  had  been  paid  him 
when  in  the  province,  nor  to  any  of  his  governors ;  and  he  said  it  was  only 
proper  to  princes  of  the  blood  royal,  which  may  be  true  for  aught  I  know,  who 
was,  and  still  am,  ignorant  of  the  etiquette  in  such  cases." 

Though  Franklin  styles  this  a  "silly  affair"  the  proprietor  took  it  very 
seriously,  and  made  it  the  occasion  of  denouncing  him  to  the  ministry  as  plan- 
ning to  usurp  the  government,  also  endeavoring  to  effect  his  removal  from  the 
office  of  postmaster-general ;  but  his  chief  enmity  toward  the  offender,  of  which 
this  incident  was  an  excuse  more  suited  to  public  protest,  was  the  latter's  stead- 
fast opposition  to  the  exemption  of  the  proprietary  estates  from  their  due  share 
of  taxation.  As  a  result  of  this  outcry,  however,  or  because  it  was  deemed 
unwise  to  sanction  the  beginnings  of  military  strength  in  the  provinces,  the  law 
under  which  the  Pennsylvania  regiment  was  recruited  was  repealed  in  England, 
and  the  commissions  of  all  its  officers  withdrawn. 

By  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Hall,  Franklin  had  now  been  relieved  from 
the  active  cares  of  business  for  about  six  years,  during  which,  in  addition  to  the 
benevolent  and  political  interests  that  he  had  served,  he  had  cultivated  his  mind 
in  many  directions,  and  had  conducted  and  published  a  long  and  varied  series 
of  electrical  experiments,  which  had  established  him  as  one  of  the  foremost 
scientists  of  the  world. 

He  had  in  turn  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  both  Yale  and 
Harvard  colleges,  and  without  solicitation  he  was  elected  a  fellow  of  the  Royal 
Society  of  London,  an  unprecedented  honor  which  included  special  remission  of 
the  customary  fees,  and  was  awarded  its  Sir  Godfrey  Copley  gold  medal. 

He  discovered  and  defined  the  positive  and  negative  nature  of  electricity, 
invented  new  forms  of  apparatus  for  producing  and  displaying  it,  and  exhibited 

3  ?itfr  of  ZUtouvr,  anfc  a  Hift  of 
2La?fness,  ate  &too  arijuifls.    P.  R. 


Srrbftrs  of 


jiJnnorafcle  Sftfetrfmtnt 


UK  mftr 


many  novel  and  startling  applications  of  his  discoveries.  Of  these  the  greatest, 
and  the  one  that  brought  his  fame  to  the  highest  point,  was  his  demonstration 
of  the  identity  of  the  phenomena  of  thunder  and  lightning,  and  the  spark 
drawn  from  the  Leyden  jar.  Long  before  it  had  occurred  to  him  to  test  this 
theory  for  himself,  by  means  of  a  kite  —  as  he  did  later  with  such  notable 
success  —  there  being  no  high  buildings  in  America,  he  had  written  to  his  friend 
Mr.  Collinson  of  London,  suggesting  in  detail  an  arrangement  of  metal  rods 
on  some  tall  structure  situated  on  high  ground,  and  during  a  thunder  storm  to 
connect  this  with  the  prime  conductor  of  a  Leyden  jar  in  the  expectation 
of  its  being  charged  by  the  electricity  of  the  heavens.  This,  and  other  letters 
recording  his  experiments  were  read  by  Mr.  Collinson  before  the  Royal  Society 
but  at  the  time  they  received  little  credence,  and  to  accord  them  the  opportu- 
nity to  which  he  believed  they  were  entitled,  this  gentleman  arranged  for  their 
publication  by  Mr.  Cave  the  proprietor  of  the  Gentlemen's  Magazine,  who 
brought  them  out  collectively  in  the  form  of  a  quarto  volume. 

A  copy  of  this  work  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Count  de  Buffon,  an 
eminent  philosopher  of  Paris,  who  arranged  for  its  translation  into  the  French 
language,  which  led  to  the  successful  trial  of  the  proposed  experiment  of  the 
lightning  conductor,  by  the  Messieurs  Dalibard,  the  translator,  and  De  Lor. 
The  fame  of  this  verification  of  Franklin's  theory  spread  rapidly  over  Europe 
and  to  England,  where,  in  London,  the  Royal  Society  was  brought  to  a  real- 
ization of  the  importance  of  the  communications  which  they  had  slighted,  with 
the  result  of  welcoming  the  author  to  fellowship,  as  above  stated. 

In  the  meantime  Franklin  had  conceived  the  idea  of  sending  his  conductor 
into  the  clouds  by  means  of  a  kite,  and  before  he  learned  of  the  success  of 
Messieurs  Dalibard  and  De  Lor,  at  Marly,  he  had  experienced  the  satisfaction 
of  proving,  in  Philadelphia,  the  truth  of  his  theory.  There  are  many  dramatic 
accounts  of  this  achievement,  and  they  are  quite  justified  by  the  importance, 
if  not  by  the  circumstances,  of  the  fact  ;  but  the  discoverer  restricts  himself  to 
the  following  general  directions  for  performing  the  experiment  : 


itS  tty 


Of 


7ittCfc.       Poor  Richard. 


n        31 


"Make  a  small  cross  of  two  light  strips  of  cedar,  the  arm  so  long  as  to 
reach  to  the  four  corners  of  a  large  thin  silk  handkerchief  when  extended ;  tie 
the  corners  of  the  handkerchief  to  the  extremities  of  the  cross,  so  you  have  the 
body  of  a  kite;  which  being  properly  accommodated  with  a  tail,  loop  and  string 
will  rise  in  the  air,  like  those  made  of  paper;  but  this  being  silk  is  fitter  to 
bear  the  wet  and  wind  of  a  thunder-gust  without  tearing.  To  the  top  of  the 
upright  stick  of  the  cross  is  to  be  fixed  a  very  sharp-pointed  wire,  rising  a  foot 
or  more  above  the  wood.  To  the  end  of  the  twine,  next  the  hand,  is  to  be 
tied  a  silk  ribbon,  and  where  the  silk  and  twine  join,  a  key  may  be  fastened. 
This  kite  is  to  be  raised  when  a  thunder-gust  appears  to  be  coming  on,  and 
the  person  who  holds  the  string  must  stand  within  a  door  or  window,  or  under 
some  cover,  so  that  the  silk  ribbon  may  not  be  wet ;  and  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  twine  does  not  touch  the  frame  of  the  door  or  window.  As  soon  as 
any  of  the  thunder-clouds  come  over  the  kite,  the  pointed  wire  will  draw  the 
electric  fire  from  them,  and  the  kite  with  all  the  twine  will  be  electrified,  and 
the  loose  filaments  of  the  twine  will  stand  out  every  way,  and  be  attracted  by 
an  approaching  finger.  And  when  the  rain  has  wetted  the  kite  and  twine  so 
that  it  can  conduct  the  electric  fire  freely,  you  will  find  it  stream  out  plentifully 
from  the  key  on  the  approach  of  your  knuckle.  At  this  key  the  phial  may  be 
charged ;  and  from  electric  fire  thus  obtained,  spirits  may  be  kindled,  and  all 
the  other  electric  experiments  be  performed,  which  are  usually  done  by  the  help 
of  a  rubbed  glass  globe  or  tube,  and  thereby  the  sameness  of  the  electric  matter 
with  that  of  lightning  completely  demonstrated." 

Certainly  this  was  a  modest  way  of  announcing  a  discovery  that  engrossed 
the  world,  and  was  held  to  menace  tenets  of  religion. 

During  the  long  interval  that  had  elapsed  since  he  first  left  home,  Frank- 
lin had  seldom  visited  Boston,  for  which  apparent  neglect  we  must  find  a 
reason  in  the  multiplicity  of  his  affairs,  and  the  difficulties  of  the  journey,  as 
his  affection  for  his  family  was  constant,  and  was  expressed  frequently  by 
letters  and  remembrances. 


&otra$  is 


Poor  Richard. 


Services  of 


His  first  visit  was  made  when  he  had  been  away  ten  years,  and  he  called 
on  his  brother  James,  who  was  then  in  business  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
and  healed  the  differences  caused  by  his  injudicious  conduct  on  the  occasion 
of  his  earlier  return  at  Governor  Keith's  suggestion.  He  found  his  brother  in 
poor  health,  and  promised  in  the  event  of  the  latter's  death,  which  seemed,  and 
was  indeed  imminent,  to  take  his  son  James  and  train  and  establish  him  in  the 
printing  business,  which  he  faithfully  did — after  having  given  him  several  years 
schooling — by  which  he  felt  that  he  had  made  amends  for  his  brother's  loss 
through  his  own  defaulted  service. 

His  father,  Josiah  Franklin,  died  in  1744,  and  his  mother  Abiah,  in  1752. 
The  fullness  and  character  of  his  regard  for  them  are  evidenced  by  this  inscrip- 
tion, which  he  placed  on  the  monument  which  he  erected  over  their  graves,  in 
the  Granary  burying-ground,  in  Boston  ;  it  is  alike  creditable  to  parents  and  to 
the  son: — 


Josiah  Franklin  and  Abiah  his  wife 

lie  here  interred. 

They  lived  lovingly  together  in  wedlock  fifty-five  years; ' 

and  without  an  estate  or  any  gainful  employment, 

by  constant  labour,  and  honest  industry, 

(with  God's  blessing,) 
maintained  a  large  family  comfortably ; 
and  brought  up  thirteen  children  and  seven  grand- 
Jj^   »>  children  reputably. 

Jfl   J%  From  this  instance,  reader, 

be  encouraged  to  dilligence  in  thy  calling, 

and  distrust  not  Providence. 
He  was  a  pious  and  prudent  man, 
she  a  discreet  and  virtuous  woman. 

Their  youngest  son, 
in  filial  regard  to  their  memory, 

places  this  stone. 

J.  F.  born  1655 — died  1744, — IE.  89. 
A.  F.  born  1667 — died  1752, — IE.  85. 


Ga 


In  August  1756,  Governor  Morris  was  superseded  by  Captain  William 
Denny,  and  Pennsylvania  entered  upon  an  administration  destined  to  imperil 
the  foundations  of  its  liberties,  in  whose  defence  Franklin,  the  recognized 
leader,  was  to  be  called  to  the  beginning  of  a  long  and  fruitful  term  of  service 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

£!)»  jFattjrr  an*  Ef)#  JWottjer,  /.  e.  Hite  00  us  to  te 
to  &$em  artjo*  ®tyy>  are  3Pea&. 


Governor  Denny  brought  to  Franklin  the  gold  medal  awarded  him  by 
the  Royal  Society,  and  he  took  the  opportunity,  after  presenting  it  on  a  public 
occasion,  to  withdraw  with  the  recipient  and  endeavor  to  cajole  him  into  a 
favorable  regard  for  the  demands  of  the  proprietor  in  matters  of  taxation, 
promising  him  ample  reward  in  money  and  honors  if  he  would  lend  his  influence 
in  the  Assembly  toward  harmony  with  his,  the  Governor's  measures. 

In  reply,  Franklin,  with  his  usual  courteous  directness,  assured  the  Gov- 
ernor that  he  desired  to  be  friendly  with  the  proprietor,  and  would  do  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  render  the  administration  of  his  agent  easy  and  agreeable 
so  long  as  it  was  not  in  conflict  with  the  rights  of  the  people,  whose  interests 
he  should  continue  to  serve ;  adding,  that  through  God's  blessing  his  circum- 
stances were  such  as  to  render  unnecessary  any  favors  from  the  proprietor,  and 
that  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly  it  would  be  unlawful  for  him  to  receive  such. 
He  further  expressed  the  hope  that  Governor  Denny  was  not  bound  by  the 
instructions  which  had  been  such  a  source  of  trouble  with  the  previous  admin- 
istration. 

The  Governor  did  not  choose  to  enlighten  him  on  that  point,  but  the 
course  of  events  soon  revealed  the  obnoxious  requirements,  and  after  some 
months  of  fruitless  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly  to  secure  approval  of 
bills  which  contemplated  taxation  of  the  proprietary  estates,  and  of  equally 
fruitless  effort  by  Governor  Denny  to  obtain  specific  exemption  of  these  estates, 
matters  reached  a  crisis  on  the  governor's  rejection  of  a  revenue  bill  based  on 
an  excise  tax,  which  the  House  thought  an  unobjectional  expedient,  but  which 
also  proved  incompatible  with  the  "instructions,"  the  bill  being  returned  to 
the  Assembly  with  the  announcement  that  as  there  was  in  those  parts  no  person 
to  judge  between  the  governor  and  the  House,  the  former  would  immediately 
transmit  to  his  Majesty  his  reasons  for  so  doing.  As  all  the  interests  of  the 
province  must  suffer  from  a  lack  of  funds  following  such  a  deadlock,  the 
House,  after  recovering  from  the  consternation  resulting  from  this  affront, 
passed  the  necessary  bill  in  a  form  acceptable  to  the  governor,  having  first  in  a 
series  of  resolutions,  recorded  its  sense  of  injury  and  the  reasons  for  concession 
on  this  occasion.  The  situation  in  which  it  now  found  itself  was  regarded  as 
intolerable,  and  the  Assembly  further  resolved  that  a  remonstrance  be  drawn 
up  and  presented  to  the  King  and  Parliament  and  that  the  two  most  honored 
members,  Mr.  Norris,  the  Speaker,  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  be  requested  to  go 
to  England  and  urge  the  redress  of  their  grievences.  Mr.  Norris,  pleading 
age  and  ill-health  as  excuses,  begged  to  be  allowed  to  decline,  but  Franklin,  after 
protesting  that  his  colleague  was  well  qualified  to  accomplish  the  matter  with- 
out his  assistance,  offered  himself  for  any  service  that  the  House  might  require. 
Mr.  Norris  remaining  firm  in  his  refusal,  it  was  resolved,  that  "Benjamin 
Franklin  be  and  he  is  hereby  appointed  agent  of  this  province,  to  solicit  and 
transact  the  affairs  thereof  in  Great  Britain."  Franklin's  son  William,  then 
Clerk  of  the  House,  was  granted  leave  of  absence  to  accompany  him,  and  the  sum 
of  fifteen  hundred  pounds  was  voted  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  mission. 

Franklin  prepared  to  start  immediately,  and  had  engaged  passage  and  sent 
his  stores  on  board  the  packet  at  New  York,  when  Lord  Loudon,  then  in 
command  of  the  King's  forces  in  the  colonies,  arrived  at  Philadelphia  for  the 
purpose  of  reconciling  the  affairs  of  the  province,  and  the  journey  was  delayed 
pending  a  discussion  of  the  matter.  As  his  lordship  was  unable  to  alter  the 
conditions,  nothing  was  accomplished,  and  Franklin  and  his  son  resumed  their 
preparation  and  started  for  New  York,  the  packet  with  their  stores  having  in 

(Due  i*lai?  tie  Jttot*  Cunning  Cijan  anotijrr,  13 ut  Not 
JHorc  Cunning  arjjan  ISfoerfftio&u  ISlsr.    Poor  Richard 


of 


the  meantime  sailed.  On  account  of 
the  dilatoriness  of  Lord  Loudon,  to 
whose  orders  they  were  subject,  the 
sailing  of  other  packets  was  greatly 
delayed,  and  months  elapsed  before 
the  reports  for  which  they  waited 
were  ready  and  they  were  allowed 
to  depart.  Franklin's  ship,  though  at 
first  handicapped  by  faulty  stowage  of 
the  cargo,  proved,  when  that  was  rem- 
edied, to  be  the  fastest  of  the  fleet,  and 
after  a  somewhat  eventful  voyage  of 
thirty  days,  during  which  they  were 
several  times  chased  by  hostile  craft, 
and  at  the  end  narrowly  escaped  ship- 
wreck on  the  Scilly  Isles,  they  arrived 
at  Falmouth,  where  Franklin  and  his 
son  disembarked  and  traveled  over- 
land to  London,  arriving  on  the  26th 
of  July,  1757. 

After  resting  a  while  at  the  home 
of  his  friend  Peter  Collinson,  and 
there  receiving  many  of  his  old 
friends,  and  those  with  whom  his 
scientific  works  had  brought  him 
into  correspondence,  Franklin  and 
his  son  took  up  their  abode  with 
Mrs.  Margaret  Stevenson  in  Craven 
Street,  Strand,  William  Franklin  en- 
tering at  once  upon  the  study  of  law,  while  his  father  set  to  work  upon  the 
business  of  the  Assembly.  He  obtained  an  interview  with  the  Messrs.  Penn 
and  endeavored  to  conciliate  and  show  them  the  injustice  of  their  restrictive 
instructions  to  the  Governor,  but  they  refused  to  bend,  and  kept  him  at  a  dis- 
tance with  quibbling  objections  to  the  form  of  his  petition,  asserting  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  take  any  action  for  a  long  time,  as  it  was  the  beginning 
of  the  vacation  season  and  the  lawyers  upon  whom  they  depended  for  advice 
were  away. 

Following  this  damper  to  his  hopes  Franklin  was  taken  with  a  serious 
illness  in  the  form  of  an  intermittent  fever,  which,  with  the  misguided  medical 
treatment  of  that  day,  incapacitated  him  for  eight  weeks.  On  his  recovery  he 
engaged  the  services  of  leading  councillors  and  sought  to  prosecute  his  mission, 
but  it  was  a  year  before  the  Proprietaries  took  any  action,  and  then  they  ignored 
Franklin  and  sent  an  unconcessional  reply  to  the  Assembly  through  Governor 
Denny. 

During  this  time  and  later,  he  vainly  attempted  to  secure  an  interview  with 
the  powerful  and  friendly  William  Pitt,  Lord  Chatham,  and  another  year 
passed  without  any  advancement  of  his  cause.  With  the  help  of  his  son  he 
had  replied  in  the  newspapers  to  many  calumnious  articles  inspired  by  the  Pro- 
prietaries, and  had  published  and  distributed  hundreds  of  copies  of  a  large 
volume  giving  the  full  history  of  the  controversy  between  the  Assembly  and 
the  Governors.  This  work  attracted  considerable  attention  favorable  and  other- 


*t's  Common  for  Jtfen  to  csttor 
Knsteatt  of  <sme  Heal 


P.  R. 


Ucnjamin 


jFranftlftt 


wise,  but  did  not  appreciably  improve 
the  situation,  and  Franklin  settled 
down  to  a  life  of  social  and  scientific 
gratification,  varied  with  vacation  trips 
which  included  a  visit  to  Wellingbor- 
ough  and  Ecton,  where  his  ancestors 
had  lived,  and  where  he  yet  found 
several  cousins.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  Franklin  and  his  son  spent 
six  weeks  in  Scotland,  and  were  lav- 
ishly entertained  and  honored  by  the 
universities  and  the  leading  people. 
The  University  of  St.  Andrews  had 
previously  conferred  on  him  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  which  in 
its  essential  became  his  recognized 
title.  He  also  visited  Cambridge  and 
was  flatteringly  received  and  enter- 
tained by  the  chancellors  and  the 
heads  of  the  colleges. 

He  wrote  many  interesting  let- 
ters to  his  wife  and  daughter,  and 
frequently  sent  them  presents  of  dress 
goods  and  household  furnishings, 
while  in  return  they  sent  many  delica- 
cies such  as  he  was  accustomed  to  in 
America. 

His  first  real  success  in  his  work 
came  in  1760  when  the  Proprietaries 
raised  great  objection  to  a  recent  act 

of  the  Assembly  in  issuing  notes  to  the  amount  of  ^  100,000  which  were  to 
be  met  by  taxation  of  all  estates  and  property  not  excepting  those  of  the 
brothers  Penn. 

Governor  Denny  had  given  up  the  struggle,  and  had  been  replaced  by 
Mr.  James  Hamilton,  a  Philadelphian,  who  was  a  little  less  hampered  by  pro- 
prietary restrictions,  and  in  the  absence  of  Franklin,  the  Assembly  went  to 
greater  lengths  of  self-assertion.  A  ponderous  committee  was  appointed  by 
the  Privy  Council  to  pass  upon  the  measure  before  it  was  submitted  for  the 
approval  of  the  King,  who,  by  the  terms  of  the  charter,  had  the  power  to  repeal 
obnoxious  acts.  This  committee  reported  very  harshly  and  recommended  that 
the  act  be  repealed. 

When  the  news  of  this  was  received,  Franklin  was  about  starting  on  a  visit 
to  Ireland,  but  he  unpacked  his  satchels  and  gave  all  his  energy  to  securing  a 
reversal  of  the  recommendation,  as  the  act  had  been  in  force  for  some  time 
before  knowledge  of  it  reached  England  and  much  of  the  currency  was  already 
issued.  By  promising  to  urge  an  amendment  which,  apparently,  would 
somewhat  relieve  the  Proprietaries,  he  secured  their  assent,  and  from 
the  committee  a  strong  recommendation  for  approval  of  the  measure.  This 
was  in  due  course  placed  before  King  George  II  and  the  Privy  Council,  and 
readily  allowed.  The  amendment  was  never  passed  by  the  Assembly,  though 
it  was  frequently  addressed  to  this  end  by  Governor  Hamilton,  acting  for  the 


to    Bo   2To= 

.    Poor  Richard. 


Ifcnox'8 
.St., 


¥ou 
morroto;   Bo  Kt 


of 


Rafting 


Penns,  it  being  contended  that  a  fair  consideration  of  the  original  bill  would 
show  it  based  on  the  elements  called  for  in  the  amendment.  Besides  prevent- 
ing the  embarrassment  that  would  have  resulted  from  the  recall  of  outstanding 
currency,  this  victory  was  important  in  its  bearing  on  the  subservience  of  the 
Assembly  to  the  brothers  Penn,  whose  powers  were  thereafter  much  lessened. 

Although  Franklin  remained  in  England  two  years  after  this,  he  ac- 
complished little  more  for  the  cause  of  the  province.  He  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  controversies  resulting  from  the  change  in  the  ministry  and  policy 
at  the  death  of  George  II,  and  the  ascension  of  George  III,  and  was  credited 
with  much  good  influence  on  important  questions.  He  continued  his  scientific 
and  literary  pursuits,  and  in  the  summer  of  1761,  he  and  his  son  made  a  tour 
of  the  Low  Countries. 

Franklin  planned  to  return  to  America  early  in  the  spring  of  1762,  but 
owing  to  affairs  of  his  own,  and  the  unreadiness  of  the  vessel,  it  was  late  in 
autumn  before  he  arrived  in  Philadelphia.  During  this  interval  he  visited 
Oxford  and  received  from  the  university  the  honorary  degree  Doctor  of 
Canon  Law,  and  William  Franklin,  who  had  completed  his  legal  studies  and  had 
been  admitted  to  the  bar,  was  granted  that  of  Master  of  Arts.  William  had 
gained  a  considerable  following  on  his  own  account,  through  his  undoubted 
abilities  and  his  close  association  with  his  father,  and  his  crowning  triumph 
came  just  before  the  date  set  for  their  departure,  in  the  appointment  to  the 
governorship  of  New  Jersey.  This  was  judged  to  have  been  obtained  for  him 
without  solicitation,  and  in  the  face  of  many  aspirants,  by  his  friend  Lord  Bute, 
then  the  most  powerful  man  in  Parliament,  and  it  aroused  considerable  protest 
in  England,  although  it  was  well  received  in  the  Province,  where  the  new 
Governor  was  highly  honored  on  his  arrival  the  following  February. 

Dr.  Franklin  left  Portsmouth,  without  his  son,  in  the  latter  part  of  August, 
and  after  a  very  pleasant  voyage  of  nine  weeks  in  a  merchantman  sailing  with 
a  large  fleet,  arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  first  of  November,  having  been 
absent  six  years  from  his  home  and  friends.  A  few  days  after  his  father  sailed, 


¥ott  SHottltr 
,  (SUntU 


raise  You  J&ugt  Sato 
au&  aastfttl  Betas.    P. 


Brnfamen 


===  —  .  —  —  —       --  -  —  .  --  ^ 

but  with  his  knowledge  and  consent,  Governor  Franklin  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Downes,  a  young  woman  who  had  come  to  London  from  the  West 
Indies,  and  it  was  with  the  announcement  of  this  in  the  London  Chronicle  that  his 
new  appointment  was  first  published.  He  entered  matrimony,  having  an  ille- 
gitimate son,  William  Temple,  then  about  two  years  old,  thus  repeating  his 
own  relation  to  his  father. 

Franklin  greatly  enjoyed  the  reunion  with  his  family  and  old  associates, 
and  took  especial  comfort  in  the  society  of  his  daughter  Sarah,  a  beautiful  girl 
of  eighteen.  With  full  honors  bestowed  upon  him,  he  planned  to  live  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  ease,  and  gratify  all  his  yearnings  for  hospitality  and  recreation, 
but  the  disturbances  that  led  to  the  inevitable  conflict  with  the  mother  country 
soon  claimed  his  services  and  drew  him  into  his  former  activity. 

In  October,  1763,  Governor  Hamilton  resigned,  and  John  Penn  arrived 
from  England  to  take  his  place.  It  was  thought  by  the  Pennsylvanians  that 
this  would  facilitate  the  work  of  the  Assembly,  as  it  seemed  probable  that  a 
member  of  the  Penn  family  would  be  less  restricted  by  instructions  and  likely 
to  act  more  on  his  own  judgment,  which  a  direct  knowledge  of  conditions 
would  incline  favorably  to  the  public  cause.  Like  his  predecessors,  he  showe  t 
great  consideration  at  first,  but  this  proved  of  short  duration,  and  he  soon  seized 
an  opportunity  to  ally  himself  with  the  party  in  opposition  to  liberty  and  advance- 
ment. This  opportunity  was  the  outcome  of  the  deplorable  massacre  of  a  few 
friendly  Indians,  the  last  of  a  tribe  that  had  made  the  treaty  with  his  grand- 
father, William  Penn.  They  were  murdered  by  a  party  of  fanatics  from  the 
district  of  Paxton,  and  when  a  second  raid  on  a  larger  band  of  another  such 
tribe  was  imminent,  he  called  on  Franklin  for  help,  and  through  the  latter's 
writings  and  personal  efforts  in  bringing  these  civilized  and  Christian  aborigines 
to  Philadelphia,  protecting  them  with  a  garrison  hurriedly  raised,  and  then 
meeting  and  discouraging  the  attacking  party  as  it  neared  Philadelphia,  the 
Indians  were  saved  and  another  blc*-on  the  history  of  the  province  was  averted. 
As  a  reward  for  this  help  in  an  extremity,  the  Governor  turned  against  Franklin 
and  having  found,  in  the  country  districts,  a  considerable  approval  for  the 
indiscriminate  extermination  of  the  Indians,  he  set  his  seal  on  a  proclamation 
offering  a  large  bounty  for  tn."  capture  or  scalping  of  any  Indian,  male  or 
female.  From  this  point  of  departure  he  lent  his  influence  to  the  demands  of 
two  minority  parties,  the  landed  aristocrats,  of  which  he  was  naturally  one,  and 
the  lowest  dregs  of  a  half  assimilated  peasantry. 

All  the  old  differences  he  intensified  with  greater  arrogance,  and  matters 
reached  such  a  pass  that  the  Assembly  adjourned  to  test  the  sentiment  of  the 
people  on  a  proposed  address  to  the  King,  begging  him  to  assume  the  direct 
government  of  the  province  according  to  the  terms  of  the  original  grant,  mak- 
ing to  the  Proprietors  such  compensation  for  the  cession  of  their  vested  rights 
as  he  might  deem  wise.  The  Assembly  met  again  on  the  I4th  of  May,  1764, 
after  an  interval  of  seven  months,  and  it  was  found  that  an  overwhelming 
majority  of  the  voters  had  signed  the  petitions  approving  the  address  to  the 
King.  The  venerable  speaker,  Mr.  Isaac  Norris,  weakened  at  the  last  moment 
and  resigned  his  office  rather  than  sign  so  radical  a  measure,  and  Franklin,  one 
of  its  steadfast  champions,  was  elected  to  the  place  and  signed  the  petition. 

At  this  time  the  suggestion  of  a  stamp  tax  for  the  colonies,  to  help  meet 
the  large  debt  resulting  from  the  war  with  France,  was  made  by  George  Gren- 
ville,  the  prime  minister  of  England,  but  the  opposition  to  this  form  of  tribute 
was  so  pronounced  that  the  plan  was  for  a  time  abandoned. 


for  a  IHintr  ©nt.       Poor  Richard. 


38      EJ>r  am  an*       .w^M?^        Semites  of 


At  the  election  in  the  following  October,  Franklin  met  his  first  defeat  at 
the  polls.  All  through  the  summer  a  vigorous  campaign  was  waged  by  the 
conservatives  who  formed  the  Penn  government,  and  by  the  liberals  who  de- 
sired to  free  the  province  from  it.  Tactics  of  all  kinds  were  employed  to 
prevent  the  re-election  of  Franklin,  who,  as  usual,  depended  entirely  on  a  dis- 
semination of  his  principles  and  arguments  in  pamphlet  form.  So  great  was 
the  attendance  at  the  polls  that  they  were  kept  open  from  nine  o'clock,  October 
first,  until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and  when  the  counting 
was  finished  nearly  twenty-four  hours  later,  it  was  found  that  the  new  ticket  had 
triumphed  and  Franklin  and  nearly  all  his  Philadelphia  associates  were  defeated, 
the  former  by  a  majority  of  twenty-five  votes  only.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
he  had  been  elected  to  the  Assembly  for  fourteen  years,  during  six  of  which  he 
was  absent  from  the  country,  without  seeking  the  place  or  asking  any  one 
to  vote  for  him,  and  that  in  spite  of  extensive  fraudulent  voting  by  his  oppo- 
nents the  majority  against  him  was  so  small,  Franklin  found  little  to  depress 
him  in  the  result,  and  when  the  House,  which,  by  a  return  of  most  of  the  old 
members  from  other  counties,  still  had  a  majority  over  the  Proprietary  party, 
immediately  elected  him  again  to  the  office  of  agent  of  the  Province  in  England, 
he  willingly  accepted  and  prepared  to  take  up  the  work,  notwithstanding  his 
advanced  years  and  the  sacrifice  of  his  hoped  for  leisure. 

This  appointment  aroused  bitter  protest  from  the  Penn  adherents,  and  he 
was  assailed  with  violent  criticism,  both  political  and  personal,  but  complacent 
in  his  knowledge  of  its  falseness,  he  bore  this  with  his  usual  equanimity. 

On  the  seventh  of  November,  but  twelve  days  after  his  election  as  agent, 
he  was  escorted  to  Chester,  a  few  miles  below  Philadelphia,  by  three  hundred 
citizens  on  horseback,  and  there  embarked  once  more  for  England,  which  he 
reached  after  a  short  but  stormy  passage.  He  hoped  to  make  his  stay  abroad 
short  on  this  occasion,  a  prospect  which  somewhat  mitigated  the  pain  of  leaving 
his  wife  and  daughter,  for  whom  his  solicitude  was  tenderly  expressed  in  a 
parting  letter  despatched  from  the  ship  as  it  was  leaving  the  Delaware. 

The  news  of  his  safe  arrival  in  London  was  hailed  with  great  joy  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  the  bells  were  rung  until  nearly  midnight,  the  cheering  knowledge 
of  which  he  received  in  one  of  his  first  letters  from  home. 

Franklin  returned  at  once  to  his  old  lodgings  with  Mrs.  Stevenson,  in 
Craven  street,  and  in  a  very  short  time  was  actively  working  to  prevent  the 
passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  which  he  found  the  all  absorbing  topic  in  political 
circles.  With  the  other  American  Agents  he  had  interviews  with  Prime 
Minister  Grenville,  and  personally,  he  employed  all  his  resources  of  acquaintance 
and  argument  to  avert  this  strain  between  the  home  government  and  the 
colonies,  but  entirely  without  avail,  as  Grenville  had  promised  Parliament  that  he 
would  present  such  a  measure,  and  he  was  firm  in  this  determination,  although 
courteous  in  his  reception  of  the  remonstrants,  and  fair  enough  to  request  from 
them  an  alternative  measure  that  would  accomplish  the  purpose  without  occa- 
sioning resentment.  He  did  not,  however,  choose  to  so  regard  Franklin's 
announcement  that  he  was  authorized  to  promise  that  the  Pennsylvania  Assem- 
bly would  vote  and  pay  its  proportionate  part  of  the  desired  funds,  if  requested 
by  the  King,  in  the  constitutional  manner. 

The  act  passed  almost  unanimously,  with  little  thought  that  it  would 
excite  anything  more  serious  than  a  temporary  grumbling  at  the  burden  of  the 
tax.  This  was  to  be  raised  almost  wholly  upon  paper  books  and  documents, 
and  affairs  pertaining  to  the  transaction  of  business,  and  the  American  agents 


artjat    Scatters 

lUt    lUiW    TSTOt    <£0     UartfOOt.      Poor  Richard. 


e  tt  f  a  m  f  n 


on 


Towage 


were  requested  to  name 
suitable  residents  of  their 
several  provinces  for  ap- 
pointment as  Stamp  Offi- 
cers, which  they  did  as 
a  matter  of  expediency; 
Franklin  observed  at  the 
time  that  he  could  not  be 
sure  that  his  nominees 
would  serve,  but  in  the 
clamorthat  arose  through- 
out the  colonies  on  the 
receipt  of  the  news  of  the 
passage  of  the  act  and  the 
appointment  of  the  depu- 
ties, the  agents  were  im- 
moderately blamed  for 
thus  approving  the  enact- 
ment. While  such  was 
not  their  intention, Frank- 
lin privately  advised  a 


friend  at  home  to  submit  to  the  oppression  without  resistance,  trusting  that  it 
would  be  only  transient  and  that  England  might  be  made,  by  peaceable 
methods,  to  realize  its  error;  and  without  doubt  this  was  then  his  sincere 
attitude,  resulting  from  a  deep-rooted  attachment  to  the  mother  country,  and 
an  inherent  tendency  toward  expediency  rather  than  impetuosity. 

Later,  when  the  question  of  repeal  came  up,  his  attitude  had  undergone  a 
marked  change,  influenced,  no  doubt  to  a  large  degree,  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
implacable  opposition  which  the  act  provoked.  He  was,  however,  calumniated 
as  a  traitor,  and  the  safety  of  his  family  and  property  menaced,  when  he,  believ- 
ing no  other  course  available,  was  simply  a  peacemaker. 

With  the  fall  of  the  Grenville  ministry  before  the  time  appointed  for  the 
inauguration  of  the  stamp  regime;  the  tremendous  non-importation  reprisals 
and  the  accession  of  a  more  liberal  ministry  under  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham; 
with  Mr.  Edmund  Burke,  a  fervent  friend  and  admirer  of  America  and  private 
secretary  to  Lord  Rockingham,  elected  to  Parliament, — the  fortunes  of  the  col- 
onies seemed  likely  to  speedily  improve,  and  such  was  indeed  the  outcome. 
The  British  merchants  that  were  suffering  severely  from  the  loss  of  American 
trade,  assailed  Parliament  from  without,  while  Rockingham,  Pitt,  Burke, 
and  General  Conway  worked  within,  and  Franklin,  called  to  the  bar, 
underwent  an  examination  by  friends  and  foes,  championing  his  country  in 
argument  and  presentation  in  a  manner  to  arouse  the  admiration  and  enthusi- 
asm of  his  friends  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean,  and  so  to  confound  his  enemies 
that  they  entered  heartily  into  the  general  applause,  when,  as  a  result  of  all 
these  favorable  conditions,  and  in  spite  of  royal  disapproval  and  minority 
intrigues,  the  odious  act  was  repealed  and  the  yoke  of  tyranny  lifted  from  the 
revolting  colonists. 

It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  any  man  could  undergo  such  a  catechising  as 
this  and  not  in  some  slight  degree  fail  through  the  inadequacy  or  weakness  of 
his  answers  to  the  varied  questioning  of  successive  inquirers,  but  he  did  not 
once  give  the  opening  that  his  opponents  hoped  to  secure, —  some  of  his  ex- 


&£ttf)out 

831  til  it. 


&FTHC 

UNIVERSITY  1 


OF 


Poor  Richard. 


of 


temporaneous  replies 
being  marvels  of  non- 
committal adroitness, 
while  his  arguments 
and  answers  to  friendly 
questions  brought  out 
every  pertinent  fact  and 
figure,every  sentiment, 
result,  and  possibility 
bearing  on  his  cause. 

After  this  monu- 
mental triumph  Frank- 
lin hoped  that  he  could 
be  excused  from  fur- 
ther service,  and  asked 
permission  of  the  As- 
sembly to  return  home, 
but  instead  of  granting 
this,  it  elected  him  for 
another  year.  He  con- 
tinued in  London,  and 
in  1768  he  was  elected 


?i.ot*a 


Sister 


to  a  similar  agency  by  Georgia,  and  later  by  New  Jersey,  and  Massachusetts, 
which  gave  him  a  considerable  standing  as  spokesman  for  America.  In  the 
absence  of  particular  crises  following  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  he  employed 
much  of  his  time  in  attempting  to  win  the  British  public  to  a  sympathy  for  the 
American  cause,  in  the  course  of  which  he  wrote  and  published  in  the  news- 
papers brilliant  anonymous  articles  of  questionable  propriety  for  an  ambassador, 
and  his  authorship  becoming  known,  lines  of  division  were  more  sharply  drawn 
between  the  Whigs,  who  favored  his  cause,  and  the  Tories,  the  governing 
party  which  antagonized  it,  with  the  result  that  little  good  and  much  harm 
ensued. 

While  endeavoring  to  convince  a  member  of  Parliament  of  the  tractability 
of  the  Americans  under  reasonable  conditions,  he  learned  that  inflammatory 
letters  had  been  written  to  an  English  official  by  Governor  Hutchinson  and 
Lieutenant  Governor  Oliver,  of  Massachusetts.  These  letters  placed  the  people 
of  America  in  a  very  quarrelsome  and  unfavorable  light,  and  recommended  re- 
pressive measures.  As  these  were  averred,  and  held,  to  be  the  sentiments  of  a 
majority  of  the  best  people  of  the  Colony,  they  carried  much  weight  and  were 
exhibited  privately  to  Franklin  to  prove  his  misunderstanding  of  the  situation. 
Knowing  fully  their  unreliability  and  baseness,  Franklin  secured  these  for 
discreet  exhibition  in  America,  under  the  promise  that  they  would  not  be 
copied  or  published,  and  they  were  sent  to  Boston  for  the  edification  of  a  few 
chosen  patriots.  By  being  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the  leaders,  and  read 
in  a  secret  session  of  the  Assembly,  they  soon  became  commonly  known,  and 
were  published  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean.  In  Massachusetts  the  feeling  was 
very  strong  against  Gov.  Hutchinson,  who  was  a  native  American,  and  had 
been  much  honored  by  the  people  before  his  appointment  by  the  Crown. 

A  petition  for  his  removal,  and  that  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  in  the 
interest  of  peace  and  harmony,  was  sent  to  the  King,  but  its  effect  was  only  to 
inflame  the  already  avowed  opposition  which  was  pleased  to  believe  every 


Not  Bo 

?4at)C     IltlOUllI. 


Poor  Richard. 


iirnt  amiu 


word  of  Hutchinson's  arraignment,  and  which  welcomed  the  opportunity  pre- 
sented by  the  compromising  situation  in  which  Franklin  was  placed  by  his 
acknowledgement  of  responsibility  for  despatching  the  letters. 

The  strained  relations  following  this  episode  culminated  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Privy  Council  called  to  act  upon  the  petition  of  Massachusetts.  Franklin 
in  his  capacity  as  agent  presented  his  case  through  counsel,  but  it  was  a  fore- 
gone conclusion  that  the  request  would  be  refused  ;  it  would,  in  fact,  have  re- 
ceived no  official  attention  had  it  not  been  for  the  opportunity  it  offered  for 
arraigning  Franklin  on  the  score  of  securing  and  imparting  the  letters ; 
Many  distinguished  members  and  visitors  were  present  and  the  resentment  of 
the  Tories,  who  formed  the  council,  was  intense.  Alexander  Wedderburn,  a 
Scotch  barrister,  represented  Hutchinson  and  Oliver,  and  when  his  turn  arrived 
he  launched  into  a  comprehensive  speech  eulogising  the  officials  and  denying 
any  ground  for  dissatisfaction  with  his  clients.  He  then  expatiated  on  the 
culpability  of  Franklin,  the  acknowledged  offender,  and  denounced  his  entire 
conduct  from  the  secret  procuring,  to  the  final  return  of  the  letters.  His 
attack  was  offensive  personally  and  crushing  politically,  but  during  its  delivery 
Franklin  maintained  a  serene  dignity  that  was  proof  against  all  accusation  and 
innuendo.  He  could  not,  however,  combat  the  charges,  as  he  would  not  dis- 
close the  identity  of  the  one  who  had  given  him  the  letters,  and  the  council 
had  no  sympathy  with  his  mollification  proposals. 

Having  broken  Franklin's  power,  the  Ministry  sought,  through  indirect 
channels,  to  weaken  his  purpose.  It  was  arranged  that  he  should  play  chess 
with  Mrs.  Howe,  sister  of  Admiral  Lord  Howe,  and  at  one  of  these  games 
she,  with  seeming  inadvertence,  urged  upon  him  his  fitness  to  act  as  mediator 
between  the  two  countries.  This  idea  was  also  broached  by  Dr.  Fothergill, 
and  David  Barclay,  a  Tory  member  of  Parliament,  and  led  to  frequent  meet- 
ings and  consultations  with  intimates  of  the  Ministers,  particularly  with  Lord 
Howe,  who  was  one  of  the  closest  of  these;  and  at  their  request  Franklin  pre- 
pared a  schedule  of  terms  upon  which  he  thought  it  possible  to  secure  peace. 
This  was  unswerving  in  its  provision  for  the  rehabilitation  and  liberties  of  the 
colonies,  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  was  almost  wholly  distasteful  to 
the  Tory  leaders,  who  then  endeavored  to  bribe  Franklin,  by  personal  consid- 
erations of  patronage  and  financial  regard,  to  lend  his  influence  to  the  Crown 
for  the  unatoned  acquiescence  of  his  countrymen  in  America.  Franklin  spurned 
the  advances,  and,  after  witnessing  in  the  House  of  Lords  a  violent  denuncia- 
tion of  everything  American,  he  put  his  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Arthur  Lee, 
who  had  been  sent  to  take  his  place 
when  he  should  give  up  the  work,  and 
quietly  leaving  London  he  embarked 
for  home. 

His  discretion  in  this  respect  was 
warranted,  and  it  was  a  matter  for 
congratulation  that  he  escaped  arrest  for 
treason  on  account  of  the  ramifications 
of  the  Hutchinson  affair,  as  the  Gov- 
ernment was  only  waiting  for  direct 
evidence  of  this,  which  it  hoped  to 
secure  in  the  return  of  certain  of  his 
letters  to  the  Colonies,  to  finally  dis- 
pose of  him.  Early  American  Currency. 


P.  R. 


42,      *Tijc  ZUfe  antr 


Services  of 


During  this  time  the  breach  between  the  two  countries  had  materially 
widened.  While  Franklin  was  being  arraigned  in  England,  the  Colonists  had 
rejected  British  tea,  and  at  Boston  had  thrown  it  overboard,  with  the  result  of 
the  closing  of  that  port  by  Parliament  as  a  retaliatory  measure.  Before  he 
reached  Philadelphia  the  battle  of  Lexington  had  been  fought,  and  all  hope  of 
peace  and  reconciliation  had  passed. 

His  wife  had  died  during  his  absence,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Bache, 
was  in  charge  of  the  new  house,  which  also  had  been  built  while  he  was  away. 

The  first  fruit  of  his  discredit  in  England,  had  been  his  dismissal  from 
the  office  of  Postmaster  General,  but  he  was  not  suffered  to  realize  his  leisure, 
as  on  the  day  after  his  arrival  he  was  elected  by  the  Assembly  as  one  of  Penn- 
sylvania's deputies  to  the  Continental  Congress,  which  was  soon  to  meet  again 
in  Philadelphia. 

Now  that  the  die  was  cast,  he  entered  heartily  into  the  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence, and  at  once  became  a  leader  in  the  Congress  and  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  beside  which  he  was  elected  to  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  and  made 
Postmaster-General  of  the  united  colonies.  Events  moved  rapidly,  and  soon 
the  American  army  was  organized  at  Cambridge,  with  Washington  at  its  head. 
While  this  was  taking  place,  Franklin  was  one  of  three  commissioners  who 
waited  on  the  army  to  arrange  for  supplies  and  settle  other  matters  relating  to 
the  war.  Soon  after  this  he  was  called  upon  to  visit  Canada,  in  the  hope  of 
winning  that  colony  to  the  cause  of  independence.  Charles  Carroll,  of  Mary- 
land, was  chosen  to  go  with  him,  and  they  induced  the  former's  brother,  John 
Carroll,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  to  accompany  them  and  use  his  influence 
with  the  clergy  of  the  French 
Canadian  church.  This  jour- 
ney was  begun  •  late  in  the 
winter  of  1775—76,  and  its 
hardships  bore  heavily  on 
Franklin, now  seventy  years 
of  age.  He  believed  it  un- 
likely that  he  would  reach 
home  again,  and  wrote  sev- 
eral farewell  letters  from 
Saratoga,  where  he  had  an 
attack  of  the  gout,  which 
disease  had,  at  various  times 
in  his  life,  caused  him  much 
suffering  and  confinement. 
They  reached  Montreal, 
however,  though  to  no  pur- 
pose, as  the  Canadians  had 
become  strongly  prejudiced 
against  the  revolutionists, 
on  account  of  an  unsuccess- 
ful campaign  by  General 
Montgomery  against  the 
British  stronghold  at  Que- 
bec, and  the  bills  which 
his  army  had  contracted 
and  left  unpaid. 


William  'Temple  Franklin, 
Son  of  Governor  Franklin. 


"No  fttan  ?£*rr  BBas  (glorious 

>~ot  nattoriotts.    P.  R. 


Ijrnjamf  u 


On  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  Franklin  was  made  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention called  to  frame  a  constitution  for  Pennsylvania,  and  in  Congress  he  was 
an  ardent  advocate  of  the  declaration  of  independence,  soon  to  establish  this 
nation  before  the  world.  He  also  went  to  New  York,  at  the  request  of  Lord 
Howe,  who  had  arrived  there  in  command  of  the  British  fleet,  and  who  still 
hoped  to  make  peace.  Other  commissioners  were  in  attendance,  and  the  party 
was  very  courteously  received  by  Lord  Howe,  but  as  the  Americans  now 
demanded  recognition  of  the  United  States,  and  he  had  authority  only  to 
receive  the  submission  of  the  Colonies,  no  result  could  be  reached. 

Franklin's  trials  and  labors,  at  this  period,  were  augmented  by  the  position 
of  his  son  William,  who,  as  royal  governor  of  New  Jersey,  was  unalterably 
opposed  to  all  that  his  father  was  working  for.  Many  conferences  took  place 
between  them,  but  without  avail,  and  Governor  Franklin  was  eventually, 
by  order  of  Congress,  sent  to  Connecticut,  and  there  held  under  guard  until  the 
end  of  the  war,  to  the  great  distress  of  his  wife,  who  finally  succumbed  to  her 
sorrow  and  privations,  and  died  before  he  was  released. 

The  prosecution  of  the  war  of  the  revolution  was  a  tremendous  and  dis- 
couraging undertaking  for  the  new  and  but  half  amalgamated  nation.  Many 
supplies,  for  which  England  had  been  their  only  source,  now  must  be  manufact- 
ured or  drawn  from  other  countries.  The  moral  support  of  these  countries 
must  also  be  obtained  and,  if  possible,  their  financial  and  physical  aid.  This 
necessitated  agents  abroad,  and  later,  on  apprisal  of  a  friendly  disposition  of 
France,  recommended  an  embassy  at  the  French  Court.  Congress  appointed  to 
this  service  Dr.  Franklin,  Silas  Deane,  who  was  then  in  Paris  as  secret  agent,  and 
Thomas  Jefferson.  Mrs.  Jefferson  was  in  ill  health,  and  the  brilliant  author  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  unable  to  accept  the  position,  which  was 
given  to  Arthur  Lee,  Franklin's  successor  in  London,  who  was  also  acting  as 
agent  in  Europe. 

Franklin  took  his  appointment  with  equanimity,  although  another  ocean 
voyage  and  a  renewal  of  ambassadorial  labors  could  not  but  be  a  tax  on  the 
waning  strength  of  a  man  of  seventy  years.  As  a  parting  testimonial  of  his 
faith  and  liberality  he  collected  and  loaned  to  Congress  all  of  his  funds  that 
were  available  at  short  notice,  —  upwards  of  three  thousand  pounds;  an  example 
that  was  beneficial  beyond  its  pecuniary  importance.  Just  one  month  after  the 
vote  of  Congress,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1776,  he  passed  cautiously  down 
the  river,  with  his  grandsons,  William  Temple  Franklin  and  Benjamin  Franklin 
Bache,  and  the  next  day  reached  Marcus  Hook,  where  the  "Reprisal,"  a  swift 
recruit  to  the  new  navy,  waited  in  readiness  to  smuggle  them  through  the 
cordon  of  British  ships  and  bear  him  once  more  across  the  Atlantic. 

Good  luck  attended  the  voyage,  although  it  was  stormy  and  dangerous, 
and  in  thirty-three  days  they  were  landed  at  Auray,  on  the  coast  of  France, 
with  two  prizes,  British  merchantmen  with  valuable  cargoes,  to  contribute  funds 
for  the  mission. 

He  had  for  years  enjoyed  great  popularity  in  France,  and  his  reception 
was  correspondingly  generous  and  enthusiastic.  Auray  was  a  small  and  unat- 
tractive place,  and  although  Dr.  Franklin  was  very  weak  from  the  confinement 
and  roughness  of  the  passage,  they  set  out  for  Nantes  as  soon  as  they  were  able 
to  obtain  a  post-chaise,  which  was  not  until  the  next  day.  At  Nantes  they 
were  entertained  by  Monsieur  Gruel,  an  active  friend  of  America,  at  his 
spacious  country  house,  and  at  his  earnest  solicitation  Franklin  remained  there 
upwards  of  a  week  to  recuperate  before  continuing  his  journey. 


Poor 


of 


His  arrival  at  this  important  and  flourishing  port  was  honored  by  a  large 
gathering  of  friends  of  the  American  cause,  and  personal  admirers  of  Dr. 
Franklin,  who  arranged  a  "grand  dinner"  which  Franklin  attended.  His  stay 
with  M.  Gruel  was  a  continuous  ovation,  and  he  met  many  well  informed 
persons  who  advised  him  as  to  the  progress  and  state  of  affairs  —  particularly 
those  of  America — at  Court. 

After  a  sufficient  rest,  he  continued  toward  Paris,  and  without  notable 
adventure  arrived  there  on  the  twenty-second  of  December. 

His  coming,  which  until  his  arrival  at  Nantes  was  unexpected,  had 
been  widely  heralded,  and  Paris,  with  its  accessible  world,  was  in  a  flutter  of 
expectation  regarding  this  wonderful  old  man  and  the  momentous  cause  he  was 
to  advocate.  He  came  to  the  world's  capital  of  elegance  and  luxury;  he 
brought  simplicity  and  directness  of  a  most  accomplished  and  engaging  type. 
He  found  learning,  culture,  and  humanity  of  an  old  world  fullness,  and  he 
reflected  all  these  with  an  added  lustre,  individuality,  wisdom,  and  humility. 
He  personified  a  type  which  the  philosophy  and  affections  of  a  people  sated 
with  convention  and  display,  eagerly  accepted  as  the  ideal  of  agreeable  democ- 
racy. His  endowment  of  their  own  graces  was  the  medium  which  made  his 
unique  qualities  intelligible,  and  the  cause  he  represented  was  to  France  person- 
ified in  Franklin,  and  accordingly  beloved.  From  Louis  XVI  to  his  humblest 
subject  there  was  admiration  and  respect  for  this  kindly  old  man  who  labored 
unceasingly  for  the  enfranchisement  of  a  people,  but  in  the  brilliant  circles  center- 
ing at  Versailles  he  found  his  most  sympathetic  confreres  and  associates.  His 
marked  partiality  for  the  society  of  clever  women  found  ample  opportunity, 
and  his  relations  with  the  Countess  d'Houdetot,  Madame  Helvetius,  and 
Madame  Brillon,  as  revealed  in  delightful  epistles  and  essays,  were  intimate 
and  affectionate. 

Painters,  sculptors,  and  engravers,  in  endless  succession,  reproduced  his 
features  or  glorified  him  in  extravagant  allegory,  testifying  alike  their  own 
enthusiasm  and  the  market  value  of  everything  pertaining  to  the  adored 
American.  His  popularity  was  instant,  and  remains  without  an  equal  in  the 
relations  of  the  two  countries. 

The  immediate  practical  ne- 
cessities of  the  American  govern- 
ment were  arms  and  equipments 
for  its  troops,  and  when  Franklin 
settled  down  to  his  work  in  Paris  the 
machinery  for  supplying  these  had 
been  well  organized  and  set  in 
motion. 

Following  the  earlier  move- 
ments of  Congress,  commercial 
agents,  one  after  another,  had  de- 
parted for  Europe  and  busied 
themselves  to  secure  credit  for  these 
goods,  and  the  means  of  forwarding 
them.  Among  those  so  commis- 
sioned was  Monsieur  Penet,  a 
French  merchant  then  in  Philadel- 
phia, whose  enthusiasm  was  abund- 
ant, but  whose  personal  resources 


Silver  Pot,  with  motto  "Keep   bright  the 
chain"  presented  by  Franklin  to  a  friend. 


Xf  Yow    H?afet   Xo    loouco   in  Youv 

Some   In  ¥onr  JHottt^.    Poor  Richard. 


33  r  n 


SlUrgory  of  jFranfclfn  Suttruino  ttjr  2Ugi)tnfng 

Destroying    £yrantS.       (From  a  French  Print.) 


were  not  great.  Franklin,  who  had  at  that  time  no  expectation  of  visiting 
France,  supplied  him  with  letters  of  introduction  to  influential  people,  and 
in  particular  to  Dr.  Duborg,  a  scientist  with  whom  he  was  closely  associ- 
ated and  who  was  zealous  in  the  American  cause.  M.  Penet  reached  Paris 
without  his  credentials,  which  he  left  in  Holland  through  fear  of  being 
intercepted  and  robbed  of  them  in  traveling  to  France,  but  he  succeeded 
in  convincing  Dr.  Duborg  of  the  authenticity  of  his  agency,  and  the  latter  at 
once  introduced  him  to  a  number  of  high  officials  of  the  French  Court, 
who  showed  a  disposition  to  grant  secretly  the  financial  aid  on  which  his 
efforts  depended.  Dr.  Duborg  proved  so  well  situated  to  influence  the  Court 
that  M.  Penet  prevailed  on  him  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  forwarding  the 
business  at  that  end,  while  he,  personally,  visited  the  manufactories  and 
seaports  to  procure  and  ship  the  supplies.  Dr.  Duborg  accepted  the  charge  tem- 
porarily, and  was  of  great  assistance  pending  the  arrival  of  Silas  Deane,  a  duly 
accredited  commissioner  to  Europe,  who  sailed  a  few  months  after  M.  Penet. 
Dr.  Duborg  related  his  operations  in  a  long  letter  to  Franklin,  which,  being 
read  before  Congress,  gratified  most  opportunely  its  waning  hopes  of  foreign 
assistance.  At  this  time  a  star  of  exceptional  power  dominated  the  firmament 
of  the  French  court,  in  the  person  of  Caron  de  Beaumarchais,  author  of  The 
Barber  of  Seville,  horologist,  musician,  financier,  gallant,  and  favorite,  who 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Colonies,  and  was  made  the  agent  under  whose  cover 


i«oncy   ana   &oo*r 

tJje   (Sentleman. 


P. 


at 


the  King  dispensed  his  aid.  The  house  of  Hortalez  &  Co.  was  organized  and 
imposingly  located  in  Paris,  and  there  Beaumarchais,  its  sole  visible  executive, 
received  loans  from  France  and  Spain,  and  expended  them  for  guns,  ammuni- 
tion, and  clothing,  which  were,  in  one  way  or  another,  landed  in  America, 
despite  the  watchful  and  seemingly  effective  remonstrance  of  Lord  Stormont,  the 
English  ambassador.  Though  more  brilliant  than  profound  in  the  arguments 
by  which  he  won  the  King's  support,  and  actuated  by  motives  not  wholly  philan- 
thropic, Beaumarchais  entered  heartily  into  this  undertaking,  and  staked  his  own 
resources  and  interests  to  a  greater  degree  than  he  was  then  credited  with.  The 
French  funds  were  provided  as  a  loan,  to  be  repaid  by  the  Colonies  in  tobacco 
and  other  products  as  was  convenient,  but,  through  misinformation  supplied  by 
Arthur  Lee,  who  had  arrived  at  Paris,  Congress  regarded  them  as  a  gift,  and 
did  not  seriously  heed  its  benefactor's  requests  for  an  equivalent,  with  the 
result  that  he  was  caused  financial  distress  from  which  he  never  wholly 
recovered.  Silas  Deane,  whose  resources,  dispatched  by  Congress  in  the  form 
of  cargoes  of  tobacco,  fish,  and  rice,  failed  to  arrive,  availed  himself  eagerly  of 
Beaumarchais'  assistance,  and  became  the  medium  of  the  latter's  dealings  with 
Congress.  Though  Deane  was  useful  in  many  ways,  and  subsequently  friendly 
and  helpful  to  Franklin,  he  was  unduly  blamed  in  America  for  his  part  in  send- 
ing to  this  country  an  embarrassing  accession  of  unwelcome  and  incompetent 
French  officers  —  among  whom  LaFayette,  DeKalb,  and  Steuben  were  notable 
exceptions  —  which,  with  the  troubles  resulting  from  impaired  credit  and  the 
indifference  of  Congress  to  his  services  and  claims,  ultimately  induced  him  to 
forsake  his  country  and  join  his  friend  Benedict  Arnold  in  England. 

While  others  had  been  able  to  gather  material  succor  for  the  Colonies,  it 
remained  for  Franklin  to  win  the  moral  support  which  should  dignify  and 
ensure  the  results  of  the  struggle.  He  was  content  to  leave  the  details  of 
commercial  transactions  with  Silas  Deane  and  the  agents  assigned  to  the  several 
ports  where  prizes  were  condemned  and 
cargoes  shipped,  although  it  was  to  him 
that  all  these  looked  for  funds  when 
other  sources  failed,  and  his  wisdom 
and  diplomacy  were  continually  drawn 
upon  to  smooth  the  way  for  these 
affairs.  A  few  days  after  his  arrival  he 
was  received,  with  Deane  and  Lee,  by 
the  Count  de  Vergennes,  the  minister 
for  foreign  affairs,  to  whom  they  pre- 
sented the  main  features  of  a  treaty 
which  it  was  desired  to  conclude  with 
France.  They  asked  the  open  assist- 
ance of  the  French  navy  to  raise  the 
blockade  on  American  commerce,  which 
in  return  was  to  be  consigned  to 
French  ports.  They  were  listened  to 
with  great  respect  by  the  minister,  and 
assured  of  the  protection  of  the  king 
while  established  in  France,  but  only 
vague  promises  could  be  obtained  in 
regard  to  the  treaty,  which  they  were 
requested  to  draw  up  in  due  form  Franklin's  Music  Stand. 


¥ou  #*ai>   (Sitoc   a  JHan    an    <&ffirt   Hut 
You   Cannot   (ffiftot   HMm  Uferrrtfon.    Poor 


13  r  n  j  a  m  t  n 


r  an  ft  I  (n 


and   present  to    Monsieur   Gerard,   the   chief  secretary  of  the   foreign   office. 

For  a  few  weeks  Franklin  resided  with  Mr.  Deane,  in  the  Rue  de 
1'Universite,  but  as  so  central  a  location  exposed  him  to  many  distractions  he 
availed  himself  of  the  offer  of  a  house  at  Passy,  a  suburb  in  the  direction  of 
Versailles,  on  the  estate  of  Monsieur  de  Chaumont,  a  gentleman  of  much 
influence  and  a  steadfast  friend  of  America.  Here  he  established  himself,  with 
a  retinue  of  servants, —  for,  although  simple  in  his  own  tastes,  he  must  follow  the 
manner  usual  for  a  public  personage, —  and  this  was  his  home  during  the  nine 
years  that  he  remained  in  France.  He  was  on  terms  of  most  cordial  intimacy 
with  M.  de  Chaumont  and  his  family,  a  fact  which  contributed  materially  to 
his  welfare  and  contentment,  while  his  host's  position  in  court  circles  was  of 
benefit  in  the  early  days  of  his  mission. 

The  proposed  treaty  was  delivered  to  M.  Gerard,  but  its  consideration 
was  impracticable  at  that  time,  as  France  was  unwilling  to  risk  a  war  with  Eng- 
land while  the  issue  in  America  was  so  doubtful.  Financial  aid  was,  however, 
extended,  and  greatly  facilitated  the  labors  of  the  envoys. 

As  the  months  passed,  amid  the  difficulties  of  their  multifarious  affairs, 
only  disheartening  news  of  their  country's  events  and  prospects  reached  them, 
and  the  announcement  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  departure  from  England  with  a  large 
army,  was  the  occasion  of  especial  apprehension.  Notwithstanding  this,  Frank- 
lin maintained  a  cheerful  demeanor,  although  he  felt  keen  anxiety,  and  insisted, 
in  reply  to  all  doubters,  that  America  was  strong  and  would  yet  triumph. 

Among  the  expedients  devised  at  this  time  was  that  of  sending  advocates 
to  Spain  and  the  Netherlands,  and  Arthur  Lee  was  dispatched  to  Madrid,  but 
got  no  farther  than  Burgos,  where  he  was  met  with  the  intelligence  that  the 
Government  could  not  receive  an  American  ambassador,  although  sympathizing 
with  his  cause,  and  with  this  and  a  promise  of  supplies  he  returned  to  Paris. 
He  followed  this  immediately  with  a  visit  to  Berlin,  but  received  no  aid  from 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  returned  finally  to  Paris  without  appealing  to 
Holland. 


KB  1%t   Eliat  fBpvtrts  ^Totljinfi,  for 
SJjall    STrtorr    tfr   ®isa»vointt*r.    P.  R. 


of 


Franklin  found  time  to  write  and  publish  many  articles  bearing  on  the 
necessities  and  prospects  of  his  country,  as  had  been  his  custom  while  in 
England,  but  it  needed  positive  successes  by  the  American  army  to  raise  the 
cause  with  the  governments  and  bankers.  A  slight  measure  of  this  was  expe- 
rienced when  Captain  Hammond  arrived  as  a  special  messenger  with  the  news 
of  the  British  defeat  at  Trenton.  At  this  time,  also,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
departed  secretly  for  America  with  a  considerable  quantity  of  supplies  and, 
entered  upon  the  career  of  usefulness  which,  with  his  charming  personality, 
endeared  him  to  all. 

These  incidents  were  made  the  most  of,  but  it  was  not  until  a  swift  mes- 
senger from  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Jonathan  Austin,  arrived  at  Passy  with  the 
astounding  news  of  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's  army,  that  the  clouds  parted  and  the 
outlook  of  the  envoys  was  illumined.  From  the  depths  of  despair,  which  sug- 
gested even  a  proposition  looking  to  terms  with  England,  they  rose  instantly  to 
heights  of  favor  and  success.  Beaumarchais,  who  was  on  the  verge  of  ruin,  was 
atPassy,  and  in  his  unbounded  joy  drove  so  furiously  to  Paris  that  he  was  thrown 
from  his  carriage  and  severely  injured.  Within  two  days  of  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Austin,  M.  Gerard  called  on  the  envoys  to  convey  the  congratulations  of  the 
Count  de  Vergennes,  his  assurance  of  a  large  loan  from  Spain,  and  to  request 
them  to  renew  immediately  their  proposals  for  an  alliance  with  France.  In  a 
short  time  this  was  done,  and  the  dream  of  the  envoys  became  an  assured  fact, 
awaiting  only  the  outcome  of  certain  affairs  which  should  permit  Spain  to  par- 
ticipate in  it,  to  become  an  accomplished  one.  In  anticipation  of  this,  and  at 
the  request  of  the  envoys,  a  strong  squadron  of  French  frigates  was  ordered  to  sail 
with  a  fleet  of  supply  ships  then  awaiting  convoy  at  Nantes. 

Arthur  Lee  had  for  months  chafed  under  his  personal  lack  of  influence 
and  imagined  lack  of  consideration,  and  in  the  rapidly  moving  events  of  this 
period  he  appears  as  a  continual  critic  of  all  that  transpired  or  was  accomplished, 
of  no  use  in  the  affairs,  and  constantly  intriguing  to  lessen  the  influence  of  his  com- 
panions and  increase  his  own  with  Con- 
gress. His  jealousy  of  Silas  Deane's 
confidential  relations  with  Beaumar- 
chais led  him  to  discredit  the  latter  as 
a  principal,  asserting  that  he  was  only 
a  dispenser  for  the  king,  with  the 
result  that  the  first  cargo  of  rice  and 
indigo  to  arrive  from  America  in  one 
of  his  own  ships  was  consigned  to 
Franklin,  Deane,  and  Lee,  regardless 
of  the  distracted  merchant,  who  finally 
convinced  the  others  of  his  right  to 
the  cargo,  which  was  delivered  to  him 
in  spite  of  Lee's  protest. 

With  the  recognized  prospect 
of  a  completion  of  the  alliance,  the 
British  government  caused  inquiries 
to  be  made  as  to  conditions  for  peace 
between  England  and  America,  to 
forestall  the  continental  arrangement, 
but  nothing  suited  to  her  desires  was 
now  possible,  and  on  the  sixth  of 


Portrait  of  LOUIS  XVI. 
Given  by  Him  to  Franklin, 


Etjat   Can   Hjauc   tfat 

22%f)*t  Wt  ZZliU.    P.  R. 


J5  c  n  i  a  m  i  n 


Signing   UK   JTrcnti?   of  pracc 

February,  1778,  the  treaties,  which  were  the  first  to  recognize  the  United 
States  of  America,  were  signed  at  Versailles.  This  meant  to  America  the 
practical  success  of  the  Revolution,  and  it  was  celebrated  throughout  the  country 
with  great  rejoicing.  What  it  meant  to  Franklin  is  well  shown  by  the  fact 
that  he  wore  on  this  occasion  the  suit  of  black  velvet  which  had  served  him 
but  once  before,  when  Wedderburn  denounced  him  at  the  Hutchinson  inquiry, 
and  which  he  never  wore  again. 

Paul  Jones,  the  intrepid  commander  who  was  to  devastate  English 
commerce,  arrived  in  the  Ranger  soon  after  this,  and  his  affairs  were  added 
to  Franklin's  burden.  He  expected  to  receive  a  fine  frigate  which  the 
envoys  had  been  building  in  Holland,  but  which  their  necessities  had 
obliged  them  to  sell  to  the  French  Government;  this  was  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  Captain  Jones  but  he  soon  made  the  best  of  it  and  cruised  in  the 
Ranger  around  the  west  coast  of  England,  taking  prizes,  burning  shipping  and 
spreading  terror  on  all  sides.  In  about  two  weeks  he  returned  to  Brest  with 
the  Drake,  a  British  ship  of  twenty  guns,  captured  after  a  hard  fought  battle. 
This  victory  was  received  with  wonder  and  admiration,  and  Captain  Jones 
became  preeminently  the  hero  of  the  hour,  a  glory  perpetuated  by  his  later 
exploit  of  capturing  the  powerful  Serapis  with  his  own  ship,  the  Bon  Homme 
Richard,  practically  a  condemned  hulk.  His  timely  capture  of  the  Drake  was 
of  great  benefit  to  Franklin  and  the  American  cause,  being  evidence  of  a  most 
unexpected  prowess  in  a  wholly  improbable  direction,  and  as  such  particularly 
gratifying  to  the  new  allies.  Arthur  Lee  found  in  it  an  opportunity  to  assert 
his  peevish  authority,  and  caused  Jones  much  inconvenience,  which  only  the 
warm  and  helpful  friendship  of  Franklin  could  dispel. 

With  the  formal  signing  of  the  treaties  of  commerce  and  alliance  came 
changes  in  the  status  of  two  of  their  promotors,  Mr.  Deane  being  recalled  by 
Congress,  and  M.  Gerard  going  to  America  to  represent  France  before  that 
body.  On  the  day  that  Mr.  Deane  left,  Mr.  John  Adams  of  Boston  arrived  to 
take  his  place  in  the  embassy.  He  was  an  honest  man  of  unquestioned  ability, 


<Ttjr  Bvabr  an&  Wiim 

eotoatfr*  anH  .tfools  Sfjeto 


an* 
JHercg. 


P.  R. 


but  he  was  by  temperament  unsuited  for  a  diplomat,  and  by  his  sympathies 
disqualified  for  service  at  the  French  court.  His  punctilious  logic,  forced  upon 
the  king,  excited  resentment  that  required  all  of  Franklin's  soothing  tact  to 
allay,  and  caused  him  eventually  to  be  entirely  disregarded  by  the  court.  He 
accepted  many  of  Arthur  Lee's  prejudices  and  frequently  joined  with  the  latter 
in  affairs  antagonistic  to  Franklin,  but  in  these  he  was  prompted  by  his  judg- 
ment, and  he  retained  the  respect  of  the  senior  envoy. 

Arthur  Lee  continued  increasingly  to  oppose  Franklin,  and  he  derived 
much  sympathy  and  assistance  from  Ralph  Izard,  who  like  Lee,  was  from  the 
South,  and  who  held  the  commission  of  envoy  to  the  court  of  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany  but  was  debarred  from  Florence  by  this  ruler  and  remained 
a  member  of  the  American  colony  in  Paris.  Their  opportunities  for  mischief 
were  soon  lessened  by  the  revocation  by  Congress  of  the  commissions  of  the 
joint  envoys  in  Paris,  and  the  appointment  of  Franklin  as  sole  plenipotentiary. 
Adams  was  not  aggrieved,  and  immediately  settled  his  affairs  and  returned  to 
America,  but  Lee,  by  virtue  of  a  commission  to  Spain,  remained  with  Izard  in 
Paris  until  both  were  recalled  by  Congress  a  few  months  later. 

Franklin  was  left  to  prosecute,  undisturbed  through  quarrels,  the  work  of 
his  mission,  but  in  the  still  greater  financial  responsibility  put  upon  him  he 
paid  dearly  for  his  preferment.  All  obligations  from  America  and  Europe 
which  others  could  not  pay,  were  sent  to  him  in  the  form  of  drafts,  which  the 
credit  of  his  country  and  the  stability  of  former  loans  made  it  imperative  to 
meet.  These  required  enormous  sums  above  his  receipts  from  prizes  and 
cargoes,  but  he  was  always  able  to  secure  a  further  loan  from  the  French 
treasury,  notwithstanding  its  already  overtaxed  generosity.  As  a  final  effort  he 
was  requested  to  solicit  a  loan  of  twenty-five  million  francs,  in  addition  to  a 
large  supply  of  campaign  stores. 


to  a 


Dcsufsr  ail  ealtttuuj?;  Bitt  IfHaj? 
2imall,  Hut  Not  to  |)oU*fr*  JttarWc.    P 


Benjamin 


He  presented  the  appeal  most  ably,  and  was  soon  joined  by  Col.  John 
Laurens,  who  came  as  a  special  envoy  for  this  purpose.  After  some  weeks  of 
waiting,  they  were  informed  that  the  king  could  not,  notwithstanding  his  good 
will  to  the  United  States,  loan  the  sum  asked  for,  but  that  he  would  grant 
them  a  free  gift  of  six  million  francs,  and  furnish  such  supplies  as  were  imme- 
diately needed.  This  gift  proved  the  salvation  of  American  finances,  and 
brought  the  total  of  French  advances  to  upward  of  twenty-six  million  francs, 
an  enormous  sum  in  those  days,  and  an  undoubted  drain  on  the  resources  of 
that  government. 

The  culmination  of  the  long  struggle  for  independence,  in  Cornwallis's 
crushing  defeat  at  Yorktown,  lessened  the  necessity  for  Franklin's  services 
abroad,  and  he  felt  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  transfer  the  burden  to  other 
shoulders,  and  return  to  his  home  for  the  remnant  of  his  life.  He  wished  to 
resign  at  the  close  of  the  year  1781,  and  appealed  to  Congress  to  relieve  him, 
but  instead  he  was  appointed  joint  commissioner,  with  John  Adams  and  John 
Jay,  to  negotiate  for  peace  with  England. 

To  bring  about  this  much  desired  condition  was  a  long  and  laborious 
work,  and  one  that  taxed  to  the  utmost  Franklin's  sagacity  and  tact.  England 
•would  readily  have  treated  with  America  alone,  but  such  an  abandonment  of 
their  ally  was  abhorrent  to  the  commissioners,  while  the  prospect  of  craving  the 
forbearance  of  her  hereditary  enemy  was  equally  so  to  England.  Gradually, 
through  slight  opportunities  and  unofficial  channels,  the  leaders  learned  each 
other's  "mind,"  and  after  nine  months  of  informal  proposition  and  argument, 
during  a  considerable  part  of  which  Franklin  was  incapacitated  by  serious 
illness,  nine  preliminary  articles  of  peace  were  signed  on  the  thirtieth  of 
November,  1782,  by  Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams,  John  Jay,  and  Henry  Lau- 
rens, on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  and  by  Richard  Oswald,  on  the  part  of 
England.  This  treaty  was  a  manifest  victory  for  America,  and  lacked  but 
Franklin's  cherished  plan  of  the  acquisition  of  Canada,  to  include  all  that  was 
proposed  by  this  country,  while  its  demands  in  regard  to  Maine  and  the 
Newfoundland  fisheries,  —  the  two  chief  points  in  contest,  —  were  unreservedly 
included.  This  was  subject  to  ratification  by  the  French  government,  and  a 
little  friction  was  occasioned  by  the  fact  of  its  having  been  signed  before  the 
approval  of  the  ally  had  been  obtained,  but  this  was  alleviated  by  Franklin, 
and  another  large  loan  secured  for  his  impoverished  country. 

On  September  third,  1783,  the  final  treaty  was  signed  by  the  American 
commissioners,  and  by  Mr.  David  Hardy  on  the  part  of  England.  Its  ratifica- 
tion by  Congress  and  by  King  George  III  followed  in  due  course,  and  then, 
the  work  of  the  commission  being  accomplished,  Franklin  once  more  requested 
the  privilege  of  returning  to  America,  but,  for  a  year  and  a  half,  this  request  was 
unheeded.  He  spent  this  intervening  period  in  pleasant  intercourse  and  re- 
union with  old  friends  who  sought  him  at  Passy,  and  he  became,  to  a  degree, 
reconciled  with  Governor  Franklin,  then  in  England.  Thomas  Jefferson 
arrived  at  Paris  in  August,  1784,  and  in  March,  1785,  when  Dr.  Franklin's 
resignation  was  finally  accepted  by  Congress,  Jefferson  was  appointed  in 
his  place.  He  had  anticipated  this  to  the  extent  of  settling  his  affairs,  and  he 
left  Paris  on  the  twelfth  of  July,  after  a  cordial  interchange  of  devoirs  with  the 
king  and  ministers.  His  last  public  act  in  France  was  the  signing,  a  few  days 
before  his  departure,  of  a  most  enlightened  treaty  with  Prussia.  Louis  XVI, 
as  a  parting  token,  presented  Franklin  his  portrait,  in  the  form  of  a  miniature 
surrounded  by  four  hundred  and  eight  diamonds. 


Sun  Nefcer  Repents  of  «>e  eoofr  f£e  Hoes, 
Xor  Dors  lor  iSDer  Demantt  a  Recompense.    P  .  R. 


2Ufe  an* 


Services    of 


'fif  CKtrabe, 

Franklin's  infirmities  were  such  that  he  could  not  ride  in  a  carriage,  and 
he  traveled  in  one  of  the  queen's  litters,  borne  by  two  mules,  accompanied  by 
his  grandsons,  William  Temple  Franklin,  who  had  been  his  constant  compan- 
ion and  secretary,  and  Benjamin  Franklin  Bache,  just  returned  from  studying 
in  Switzerland,  as  well  as  by  M.  de  Chaumont  and  other  friends  who  were  loth 
to  part  from  him.  He  took  the  journey  to  Havre  by  easy  stages,  and  from 
there  crossed  to  Southampton,  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  ship  which  was  to 
take  them  home.  Here  he  was  visited  by  many  old  friends,  and  the  recon- 
ciliation with  Governor  Franklin  was  completed,  the  latter  on  this  occasion 
transferring  to  his  son  William  Temple,  the  title  to  his  property  in  New  Jersey. 
They  sailed  July  twenty-eighth,  and  after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks,  during 
which  Dr.  Franklin  greatly  improved  in  health,  and  which  he  occupied  as  usual 
with  scientific  researches,  they  reached  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  received  with 
great  affection  and  enthusiasm. 

Even  now  he  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  a  rest  from  public  life,  but  was 
soon  elected  President  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  continued  in  this  office 
for  three  years,  which  was  the  limit  set  by  the  constitution.  He  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  met  in  1787  to  draft  a  constitution  for  the 
United  States,  and  was,  as  usual,  a  leader  in  the  work.  He  saw  the  commence- 
ment of  the  imposing  building  for  the  Philadelphia  library,  an  outcome  of  the 
Junto,  and  he  took  part  in  a  protest  against  slaveholding,  an  institution  repug- 
nant to  many  at  that  early  day. 

In  the  fullness  of  his  achievements  and  honors,  loving  and  beloved,  he 
passed  away  on  the  night  of  the  seventeenth  of  April,  1790,  after  suffering  for 
some  days  with  a  recurrence  of  a  lung  trouble  that  had  threatened  his  life  in 
youth.  He  was  buried  beside  his  wife,  as  he  had  desired  to  be,  his  funeral 
attended  by  almost  the  entire  city,  in  reverent  procession.  His  life  was  an 
element  in  the  progress  of  the  world,  and  indispensable  in  the  establishment  of 
the  United  States  of  America. 

jFeatr  ttfot  DcnHj;  for  tlje  Sooner  Wit  Bfe, 
tfje  ZLottfler  SJjall  Wit  Ee  Kmwotrtal.     P.  R. 


Benjamin 


nfcUn       53 


THE        BENJAMIN        FRANKLIN 


pages,  is,  in  its  graceful  simplicity,  representative  of 
ences  ranged  from  the 
of  Louis  XVI.,  main- 


;  character  of  its  illustrious  namesake  who,  throughout  a  long  life  whose  influences  ranged  from  the 
mble  conditions  of  his  Puritan   birthplace  to  the  magnificence  of  the  court 


Pattern  of  Table  Flatware  illustrated  in  the  follov 

thec 

humble 

tained  his  inherent  and  cultivated  simplicity  of  dress  and  demeanor. 

It  is  a  perfected  arrangement  of  characteristic  Colonial  elements,  especially  distinguished  by  the 
pronounced  embossment  which  reinforces  the  handles  while  contributing  greatly  to  their  beauty. 

This  design  is  made  in  sterling  silver,  925/1000  fine,  and  may  be  had  in  chest  combinations  of  a  few 
dozen  or  many  hundred  pieces. 


TOWLE   MFG.   COMPANY 


Silversmiths 

MASSACHUSETTS 
NEW  YORK  CITY 
41  UNION  SQUARE 

THE  TOWLE  MFG.  COMPANY  DOES  NO  RETAIL  BUSINESS  ANYWHERE 


NEWBURYPORT 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 
42  MADISON  STREET 


54      Bt  ui  amCn 


anftlin 


Tea  Spoon,  P.M. 


Tea  Spoon,  Nos.  15  and  1R 


Pap  Spoon 


Ne'er  take  a  wife  till  thou 
hast  a  house  (and  a  fire)  to  put 
her  in.  Poor  Richard. 


Dessert  Spoon, 
Nos.  24,  28  and  )2 


r  u  j  a  m  i  u 


Anoint  a  villain  and  he'll 
stab  you,  stab  him  and  he'll 
anoint  you.  P.  R. 


13  r  n  j  a  m  C  n 


jFr  anft  Un 


Ice  Cream  Spoon 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


Sugar  Spoon 


Is't  not  enough  plagues,  wa 
and  famine,  rise  to  lash  01 
crimes,  but  must  our  wives  1 
wise  ?  Poor  Richard. 


Preserve  Spoon 


tftnf  n  m  i  u 


anfc  Un 


He  that  cannot  obey,  cannot 
command.     P.  R. 


Reading  makes  a  full  man,  / 

meditation   a  profound    man.  / 

discourse  a  clear  man.     P.  R.          I 


59 


<5o      E  e  n  i  a  tn  f  n 


anfclfn 


Lobster  Fork 


Ideal  Olive  Spoon 
and  Fork 


Horse  Radrsh  Spoon 


Chow  Chow  Fork 


Early  to  bed  and  early  to 
rise,  makes  a  man  healthy, 
wealthy,  and  wise.  P.  R. 


Butter  Pfck 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

-925 


Design  Patented 


Nut  Pick 


t  n  f  a  mi  n 


a  lift  Uu 


61 


Terrapin  Fork 


Berry  Fork 


To  God  we  owe  fear  and 
love ;  to  our  neighbours  jus- 
tice and  charity  ;  to  our  selves 
prudence  and  sobriety.  P.  R. 


62    Benjamin 


Oyster  Fork 


Individual 
Salad  Fork,  Small 


Be  at  war  with  your  vices, 
at  peace  with  your  neighbours, 
and  let  every  new-year  find 
you  a  better  man.  J*.  R. 


Beef  Fork. 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


1000 


FINE 


lie  N  i  am  f  n 


jFtranttlfn     63 


(Fork 


Pastry  Fork 


Spinach  Fork 


Learn  of  the  skilful ;  he  that 
leaches  himself,  hath  a  fool 
for  his  master.  P.  R. 


n 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 


Design  Patented 


64       Benjamin 


anftlin 


Chocolate  Muddler 


Ramekin  Fork 


Vegetable  Fork 


Chow  Chow 
Spoon 


Iced  Tea  Spoo 


Hear  no  ill  of  a  friend,  nor 
speak  any  of  an  enemy.  P.  K. 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


\ 


ri,,,;.,.,  i',t.,..r..  i 


ii  r  u  i  a  m  in 


anftUn 


Jelly  Knife 


He  that  drinks  his  cyder 
alone,  let  him  catch  his  horse 
alone.  P.  R. 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


1000 


FINE 


U  t  n  i  a  m  f  n 


anfclin 


Pickle  Fork 


Asparagus  Fork 


Tim  was  so  learned,  that  he 
could  name  a  horse  in  nine 
languages.  So  ignorant,  that 
he  bought  a  cow  to  ride  on. 

P.  R 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 

T^o  FINE 

Design  Patented 


n 


If  man  could  have  half  his 
wishes,  he  would  double  his 
troubles.  P.  R. 


68         tte  u j  a  miu 


anltlitt 


Salad  Spoon,  L 


When  a  friend  deals  with  a 
friend,  let  the  bargain  be  clear 
and  well  penn'd,  that  they  may 
continue  friends  to  the  end. 

P.R. 


Salad  Fork,  I 


If   you   want   a   neat   wife, 
chuse  her  on  a  Saturday. 

P.  R. 


lit  n  j  a  m  in 


JFt  anttlin 


Most  people  return  small 
favours,  acknowledge  middling 
ones,  and  repay  great  ones 
with  ingratitude.  P.  R. 


1000 
Design  Patented 


15  c  u  j  a  m  i  u 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


Confection  Spoon 


STERLING  SILVER 


925 

FINE 


Design  Patented 

Pally  Server 


Don't  go  to  the  doctor  with 
every  distemper,  nor  to  the 
lawyer  with  every  quarrel,  nor 
to  the  pot  for  every  thirst. 


13  c  n  f  a  m  i  u 


Pea  Server 


Tart  words  make  no  friends: 
a  spoonful  of  honey  will  catch 
more  flies  than  a  gallon  of 
rinegar.  P.  R. 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


13  c  n  I  iim  i  u 


JFranfclin        73 


\ 


You  may  dela,  but  tone  will 

Tint 


13 1  n  I  a  m  in 


anfclin 


Search  others  for  their  vir 


en|  atufu 


Vegetable  Spoon 


If  worldly  goods  cannot  save 
me  from  death,  they  ought  not 
to  hinder  me  of  eternal  life. 

P.  R. 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


Design  Patented 


Experience  keeps  a  dear 
school,  yet  fools  will  learn  in 
no  other.  P.  R. 


nfcUn      77 


Ice  Cream  Server 


Ice  Creeam  Slioer,  H.H. 
Plated  Steel  Blade 


What  you  would  seem  to  be, 
be  really.     P.  R. 


13r  n  j  am  t  n 


anfcliti 


Better  is  a  little  with  content 
than  much  with  contention. 

/'.  A'. 


lie  n  f  a  m  i  n 


79 


Lettuce  Fork 


Let   thy  discontents  be  se- 
crets 


80     lien  f  am  i  u 


jFtanftlin 


Wealth  is  not  his  that  has  it 
but  his  that  enjoys  it.       P.  R. 


Sugar  Sifter 


1000 


FINE 


Design  Patented 


lie  n  j  amtu 


jFranftlfn        81 


Asparagus  Tongs 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


Design  Patented 


Nut  'Crack 


W 


Asparagus  Servw 
Hollow  Handle 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


Design  Patented 


am(n 


Child's  Knife 


Child's  Fork 


Fruit  Fork 
Hollow  Handle 
Plated  Steel  Tine 


Hunger  never  saw  bad  bread. 
P.R. 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


Design  Patented 


ACTUAL  SIZE 


STERLING  SILVER 

925 


Design  Patented 


Roast  Holder,  Small 


Roast  Holder,  Large 


Game  Fork 


86 


13 1  u  j  a  m  t  n 


anfclin 


Individual 
Fish  Knife 


Butter  Knife 
Bent 


Fruit  Knife 


Medium  Knife 


Bird  Carver 


Bird  Fork 


Bird  Steel 


Tea  Knife 


Desserl  Knife 


STERLING  SILVER 

2IL  p|N|E  To  lengthen  thy  life,  lessen 


MAHOGANY  CHEST,  No.  358 

Deck  and  four  Drawers.      Metal  trimmings  of  Franklin  design. 

Also  made  in  Oak  and  Maple. 

Height,  1 8 14  inches  ;   front,  30  inches  ;  front  to  back,  22  inches. 
Accommodates  297  pieces. 


2   Salt  Spoons 
Mustard  Spoon 
Horse  Radish  Spoon 
Sugar  Spoon 
Jelly  Spoon 
Berry  Spoon 

Ideal  Olive  Spoon  and  Fork 
Lettuce  Spoon 


12    Chocolate  Spoons 
12   Orange  Spoons 
1 2   Iced  Tea  Spoons 


12   Tea  Spoons,  P.M. 
I  2   Tea  Spoons 
I  2   Table  Spoons 


i  2   Tea  Knives 
1  2    Fruit  Knives 


1 2   Dessert  Knives 


DECK 

Lettuce  Fork 
Pickle  Fork 
Sardine  Fork 
Cold  Meat  Fork 
Butter  Knife 
Chocolate  Muddler 
Tete-a-tete  Tongs 


DRAWER  ONE 
i  2  Butter  Spreaders 
i  2  Ice  Cream  Forks 

DRAWER  TWO 

i  2   Dessert  Spoons 
1 2   Dessert  Forks 

DRAWER  THREE 
i  2   Duck  Knives 
I  2   Fish  Knives 

DRAWER  FOUR 
12    Medium  Knives 


Sugar  Tongs 
Salad  Fork 
Salad  Spoon 
Fish  Knife 
Fish  Fork 
Cream  Ladle 
Gravy  Ladle 
Soup  Ladle 


i  2  Oyster  Forks 

1 2  Individual  Salad  Forks 

1 2  Soup  Spoons 

12  Table  Forks 

i  2  Coffee  Spoons 

i  2  Bouillon  Spoons 

i  Roast  Holder,  Large 
3-Piece  Bird  Carving  Set 


i;-Piece  Carving, 


INDEX 


P»«e 

Almond  Scoop      .  78 

Asparagus  Fork     .  66 

Asparagus  Server  .  82 

Asparagus  Tongs .  8 1 

Beef  Fork  ...  62 

Berry  Fork      .      .  6 1 

Berry  Spoon    .      .  57 

Bird  Carving  Set  .  87 

Bonbon  Scoop       .  78 

Bouillon  Ladle      .  58 

Bouillon  Spoon     .  55 

Bread  Fork      .      .  6 1 

Butter  Knife    .      .  86 

Butter  Pick,  large  6 1 

Butter  Pick      .     .  60 

Butter  Spreader,  H.H.  86 
ButterSpreader,  large  86 
Butter  Spreader,  small  86 

Carver's  Assistants  84 
Carving  Sets  .  84-87 

Cheese  Scoop,  H.H.  83 

Cheese  Server       .  70 

Child's  Fork  .      .  83 

Child's  Knife.      .  83 

Child's  Knife,  H.H.  83 

Chocolate  Muddler  64 

Chocolate  Spoon  .  55 

Chow  Chow  Fork  60 

Chow  Chow  Spoon  64 

Coffee  Spoon  .      .  55 

Cold  Meat  Fork  .  63 

Confection  Spoon  71 

Cracker  Scoop      .  78 

Cream  Ladle  .      .  58 

Croquette  Server  .  79 

Crumb  Knife  .      .  76 

Cucumber  Server  .  7  3 


Dessert  Fork  . 
Dessert  Knife  . 
Dessert  Spoon 
Duck  Knife  . 

Egg  Spoon  . 
Entree  Fork  . 
Entree  Spoon  . 


55 
87 

54 
86 

57 
65 
6$ 


Fish  Knife  .  .  68 
Fish  Knife, individual  86 
Food  Pusher  .  .  83 
Fruit  Fork,  H.H.  .  83 

Game  Carving  Set  84 
Gravy  Ladle  .  .  58 

Horseradish  Spoon     60 

Ice  Cream  Fork  .  66 
Ice  Cream  Spoon  56 
Ice  Cream  Server  77 
Ice  Cream  Slicer,  H.  H.  7  7 
Ice  Cream  Slicer,  H.H., 

plated  steel  blade  77 
Iced  Tea  Spoon  .  64 
Ice  Spoon .  .  .  72 
Ice  Tongs  .  .  8 1 
Ideal  Olive  Spoon 

and  Fork  .     60 


Jelly  Knife  . 
Jelly  Server  . 
Jelly  Spoon 

Lemon  Server 
Lettuce  Fork  . 
Lettuce  Spoon 
Lobster  Fork  . 


65 
74 
56 

70 
79 
79 
60 


Fish  Fork  ...     68 
Fish  Fork,  individual  62 


Macaroni  Server  .  73 

Mayonnaise  Ladle  58 

Meat  Carving  Set  84 

Medium  Knife  87 

Mustard  Spoon     .  58 

Nut  Crack,  H.H.  .  82 

Nut  Pick   .      .   '  .  60 

Nut  Spoon      .     .  80 

Olive  Fork      .      .  57 

Olive  Spoon    .     .  57 

Olive  Spoon,  Small  80 
Olive  Spoon  and 

Fork,  one  piece  60 

Orange  Knife .      .  86 

Orange  Spoon       .  57 
Oyster  Cocktail  Fork  6 1 

Oyster  Fork    .      .  6z 

Oyster  Ladle  .      .  58 

Oyster  Server.      .  73 


Pap  Spoon 
Pastry  Fork 
Patty  Server    . 
Pea  Server 
Pickle  Fork     . 
Pie  Server,  H.H. 
Platter  Spoon  . 
Preserve  Spoon 
Pudding  Spoon 
Punch  Ladle   . 


Pate 

54 
63 
7» 
72 
66 
76 
68 
56 
75 
5» 


Ramekin  Fork  .  64 
Roast  Holder,  Urge  84 
Roast  Holder,  small  84 

Salad  Fork,  individual, 

large  ...  62 
Salad  Fork,  individual, 

small  ...  62 
Salad  Fork  .  .  74 
Salad  Spoon  .  .  74 
Salad  Fork,  large  .  68 
Salad  Spoon,  large  68 
Salt  Spoon  .  .  59 
Salt  Spoon,  individual  59 
Sardine  Fork  .  .  67 
Sardine  Tongs  .  67 
Soup  Ladle  .  .  58 
Soup  Spoon  .  .  55 
Spinach  Fork  .  .  63 
Steak  Carving  Set  87 
Sugar  Sifter  .  .  80 
Sugar  Spoon  .  .  56 
Sugar  Tongs  .  .  81 


Table  Fork      .      , 
Table  Spoon  .     , 
Tea  Knife       . 
Tea  Spoon 
Tea  Spoon,  P.M. 


55 
54 
87 
54 
54 


Terrapin  Fork      .  61 

Tete-a-tete  Tongs  8 1 

Toast  Server  .     .  67 

Tomato  Server     .  71 


Vegetable  Fork 
Vegetable  Spoon 

Waffle  Server 


64 

75 

70 


;- 


THE   FRANKLIN  ARMS 


MAR  6 


J      49U 
AI)TOWSCMARl9'9p 


MAY  181948 


JAN9    1958   I.' 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


